


Tangled: An X-Men Crossover

by lunarinsanity



Category: Tangled (2010), X-Men (Comicverse), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Disney, Charles Xavier has a Ph.D in Adorable, Crossover, Disney, Disney References, Disney Songs, Erik has Feelings, M/M, Princes & Princesses, Protective Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-05
Updated: 2014-06-13
Packaged: 2017-12-17 17:48:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/870255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunarinsanity/pseuds/lunarinsanity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Long ago, a prince was born. Strange circumstances surrounded this prince's birth. A force known as the phoenix force emanated from him and since then, many mutants were born. However, out of vengeance this prince was kidnapped and held in a tower for many years. Along comes a thief and turns this forgotten prince's world upside down. Sound familiar?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Prologue

A man sits on his throne, contemplating the complaints brought to him by his subjects. He is draped in a royal blue robe which shimmers in a different direction every time he sighs and switches the arm on which his face lays. Being King has proven a much more difficult job than he had anticipated. However, the man is more than capable of handling it. Lately though, his mind has been preoccupied with a much more important matter.

His wife.

She has been pregnant for eight months now, and is none the healthier because of it. The skin of her face has begun to droop, her cheek bones ever more prominent, and her eyes sullen and dull. She lost the angelic glow she’d had when he first married her a long time ago. The baby he loves is killing the woman he loves. He cannot choose between them, and that is what strikes him the hardest.

He sighs with resignation and gets up to go for the umpteenth time to go check on his wife’s condition. Just as he is leaving to his chambers, the kingdom’s most trusted guards rush in. The King is startled, but manages to behave calmly as they gather their breath. They stand up straight once they realize whose presence they’re in, and all at once begin telling the King of the good news.

“Legend has it that a flower which can heal any illness exists. It burns ferociously with the form of a phoenix. It only buds once every 100 years, and is said to be found in the mountains. Anyone who comes near it will be granted a profound understanding of the universe well beyond their years. It is said that this flower is destined to alter the course of history should man ever behold its beauty.”

The King stopped listening to anything after “…that can heal any illness”. He stood there and stared into nothingness, totally aghast. At once he began giving orders to his guards to search high and low for the flower. The whole castle was alive as the guards rushed to and fro. They saddled their horses and rode off with purpose.

Meanwhile, the Queen had been woken by the rumbling in the lower floors. She tried sitting up and immediately regretted it. Pain shot up into her side. She held her breath and waited for the pain to subside, and then straightened herself up. Her voice was hoarse as she called for her maid to come assist her. The woman blundered in and began her daily routine of chastising the Queen for trying to do anything on her own. Even so, it was done with a certain hint of playfulness, because the maid and her Lady were quite close. The maid wrapped an arm around her Lady and tentatively lifted her up to the wash basin. As she washed her Lady’s face, the King entered the chamber.

He bounds over to the Queen and gently moves some stray hair out of the way. She attempts to smile at him, but she’s just too weak to really apply herself. The King whispers to the maid, which earns him an exasperated huff. She gets up in the end and leaves the chamber to go make some herbal tea. He turns to his wife and cups her face with his hands. She is much smaller than he remembers. With alarm, the King realizes that she and his child will indefinitely die should his guards not find the flower in time. He prayed that he had not misplaced his last shred of hope. Tears threaten to trickle down his cheeks as he kisses his wife. She adjusts her position as he lays his head in the crook of her neck. The Queen feels her nightgown dampen.

“Hush, love. We will be all right” she reassures him. Long ago, the King had decided that the most lovable aspect of his wife was the way she defied what fate had in mind for her. Even now, she fought the gods.

The King had long since lost faith in the gods. How could he love those who were so cruel?

* * * * *

Elsewhere, a man stalks along the rocky hills he calls his home. No pebble is stirred, for he is perfectly quiet. Beyond him, the sky is just beginning to darken. Vivid reds and oranges illuminate the silhouette. His eyes scan along the horizon, searching for any signs of enemies. He has one thing to live for, one important thing to protect. He sniffs at the dusty air, trying to pick up any strange scents. Pale blue orbs settle on a speck in the distance, which had been growing considerably since he’d emerged out of his home in the mountain wall. His eyes narrowed. Suspicious was the word that came to mind. In the end he paid it no heed, for his mind was otherwise occupied. He had exhausted himself climbing the mountain for one sole reason. 

Quickly, he makes his way to a bramble thicket. Its prickly leaves cloaked the man’s precious item. Pulling the cover off, a bright light warmed the chilly air in front of him. What lay there was a single flower. This flower was the phoenix flower. Decades ago on this day he’d learned about the power of the plant. Limitless knowledge and power was its gift to him, a man who was shriveled and had been dying. His mind and body had been born again upon making contact, and since then, he’d successfully managed to keep it to himself. 

A wrinkled hand stroked its burning leaves lovingly. For decades he had never had to worry about others finding it. But now his security was threatened. Still hunched over the flower so no stray eyes would witness its light, he recited the poem that unleashed its healing properties.

“Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine. Make the clock reverse; bring back what once was mine.”

A rush of hot air surrounded the man. He inhaled it with glee. Streams of gold wrapped around his body, transforming the withered figure into a man worth staring at. He stood tall and proud, and had eyes that bore the ferocity of a tiger. With confident hands, he worked at concealing the flower once again with the bramble bush.

A sound.

A gasp escaped his lips. The man turned slightly to check where it was coming from, but the sound had not reoccurred. He began to work faster.

The sound came back with a vengeance, hitting him hard.

He twisted around, pricking his ears towards the deep rumbling coming from the distance. Oh gods, he thought with panic. His fingers weren’t weaving fast enough. He kept turning his head left and right, hoping selfishly that whoever it was would just tumble down the mountainside to their demise. Still the sound would not let up. It beat down all around the man. Two holes left, one… Giving up, the man leaped to his feet and searched for a place to hide. He settled for diving behind one of the bushes not too far away from the bramble. He cursed as he realized that the light, though heavily filtered by the thicket, was still fighting to be seen through the hole he’d left in the covering. The man thought to get up and retrieve the flower.

A guttural growl was all he could manage instead.

Fifty men all dressed in white and red had appeared as if out of thin air. They were sweaty and red-faced as they barked orders at one another. A few were on horses, which shied away when they got to close to the edge of the rock and glimpsed the depth to which they could fall should they take a wrong step. The man cocked his head as he watched them work. They were searching for something. His stomach began to coil as the realization surfaced. These men were going to take the flower! The man smiled ruefully to himself. If only he’d brought a weapon! But there was never a need for the paranoia, for who in their right mind would climb all this way looking for a flower that may or may not exist?

Biting his lip, the man could only glare silently as a clumsy young soldier knocked over the bramble covering, revealing his precious phoenix. It was now free to shine as brightly as it liked, and it did so gaudily.

“Over here! I found it!” he called to his fellows. They dug it up, careful not to destroy the roots, and then slipped it into a basket. Within minutes, the men had disappeared, leaving a mourning figure in the dust. He slowly climbed out of the bushes. The man held his curses, for these men had been too enamored with the prospect of a reward to see that they’d left a horse behind. He made a promise to the gods that he would get that flower back. Even if he had to end a few lives in the process.

* * * * *

Two figures sat in a dimly lit room. The candles cast long shadows over the pillars that supported the door frame. Velvet furniture that was usually so inviting became an ominous presence. The fireplace crackled on the side. Through the window, the chirping of cicadas was heard. Stars glittered faintly in the sky. Though no matter how dark the room was, it could not blot out the happiness of the couple at the grand news brought by their trusted men. The King curled his wife’s brunette hair around his fingers, something which he had been afraid to do since she’d gotten pregnant. He had been afraid her feathery light hair would turn to dust at his touch. There was no fear now. The maid was busy preparing an elixir that was sure to heal even the greatest of wounds. This new-found hope had given the King a sort of glow about his face, one that his wife had not seen for a long time. She gazed into his eyes with the exhaustion of one who’d fought in a war. Even their child had calmed himself, waiting patiently for the drink of a lifetime.

The maid waltzed in, making sure she didn’t spill even a little bit of the life-saving drink. The King took it from her, holding it like it was a hot potato. He held it close to his wife’s lips and she drank it eagerly. A shimmering light starting from her lips formed flowery patterns which followed down her chin and neck, and then lit up her fingertips and eyes. The King took a step away, taken aback by her beauty. King Midas himself could not have produced such a beautiful sight. Her hair cascaded gracefully around her shoulders, the light dulling to a pale glow. Blue eyes gazed at honey ones. 

The Queen laughed, something that had become alien to her. Long ago, her chest had hurt and her had ribs cracked when she attempted it. As she did it now, she felt a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She swung herself into her husband’s arms, who still touched her gingerly. He gained confidence as she tightened her grip, and left kisses all over her face and neck, making her heart flutter.

The maid cleared her throat. The present mood had been spoiled, however the joy remained. Now everything could proceed without any complications.

* * * * *

Charles Xavier had been born July 13. It was a particularly sunny day. The clouds were especially fluffy and relaxed, as there was barely a breeze to blow them away. What was odd though were the circumstances of his birth. Neither the King and Queen nor their best advisers could explain the phenomenon that occurred. When Charles was born, a wispy golden fire plummeted from the castle walls and all throughout the land. At first it was thought to be harmless. After all, anyone who was graced by the flame felt nothing but cheerful warmth in their chests. That day, something changed in his Lord’s subjects. Many children were born with strange mutations after that. Even some adults complained that they weren’t able to harvest their crops properly because they would blast it all to bits. Charles had all of royalty’s geniuses baffled.

But goodness, was he irresistible! His wavy brown hair and round, cerulean eyes could make even the most serious of guards soften and stroke his tiny hand. Day and night, maid after maid would rush to his side when he whimpered, giving him all but a fire-breathing dragon to entertain him. Little did they know that darkness was brewing in the gutters. The man whose flower had been stolen certainly did not forgive, nor did he forget. He waited in the shadows, watching the Queen stroll by day after day for one whole month. She would stop and look in his direction, and he would retreat back further. Then again, she wasn't really looking at him, he would then decide, because if she was, he would not be able to resist the urge to drag her into the depths and slice her throat open. Out here in the open, his movements were clumsy and unsure. There were too many people here. The crowds smelled terrible. Children whined too much and too often. The sounds were overwhelming. He couldn't take much more of this. When the moon was full, he’d decided, he would take back what was rightfully his.

The night of was dreadfully buggy. More fireflies than ever floated leisurely in the evening chill. A hooded figure prowled the gardens, making sure no one would see him. He took painfully slow steps, hatred flaring from his nostrils. The firelight emphasized the hunched figure’s shadow, perhaps trying to warn others of what was to come. Scaling the tower was no effort at all, for the man had grown used to climbing the unpredictable mountains.

The window was open, probably to let in the breeze. Fools, the man thought sourly. It was like taking candy from a sniveling child. He wished his adversaries had been more intelligent. He so wished for a challenge. 

The Prince lay there, sound asleep. His eyebrows were furrowed. Maybe he was dreaming of something? The man reached out slightly, flinching when Charles wrapped his fist around the man's finger. He pulled out of the child's grip. Beads of sweat trickled down his face. What he'd heard of this child from the townsfolk was true. The child truly could charm anyone he wished, and with no effort at all. With shaking hands, the man brushed his fingers over the child’s forehead. The child stirred, and he pulled his hand back. It was easy, but then again, not so easy. With the baby sound asleep in his arms, he turned to give one last bitter look at the couple who would never see the child again, and jumped from the window.

The next morning, the entirety of the kingdom awoke to the Queen's hysterical screaming. Charles was missing.


	2. Introduction into the unknown

Light shone through the curtains, signaling a new day. It settled on a bed not too far from the window, eliciting a groan from somewhere under the pile of pillows and sheets. One moment of rolling around later and a messy brunette head poked its way out from the covers. He blinked, rubbed at his eyes, and looked around. The sun slowly lit the room around him, bringing the paintings on the wall to life. All around him the images of flowers and birds were illuminated.

He slipped out of bed, shivering as his toes first touched the stone cold floor where the sun hadn’t warmed it, and pulled the curtains wide open. As he tied them in their place, a small beady-eyed raven flew in and perched on the flower pot sitting on the window’s ledge.

“Good morning, Raven” the brunette greeted sleepily. The raven hopped onto the floor and transformed into a blue, scaly, woman-shaped creature. Her yellow eyes brightened with delight as she fixed her red hair.

“Hey there, Charles. Good morning to you too!” Her grin made Charles smile, and they giggled as they turned back to make the bed. Raven’s transformation would’ve been surprising to anybody else, but Charles had gotten used to her.

Raven, who Charles had come to call his sister (though they weren’t _really_ related), had flown into his tower one day looking for some food to eat. Up until then, he had thought he was the only one with special powers, aside from his parents Sebastian and Emma, and Azazel and Janos the family friends. When she’d changed into a growling tiger, he’d ran and hid behind the couch. She’d shown him her true form to reassure him that she wasn’t an enemy, and after he read her mind to make sure she wasn’t lying, he’d taken the liberty of adopting her. Of course, his parents were not too keen about anybody on the “outside” knowing about him being in the tower, so she had to hide whenever they came around. Charles always grinned at the thought of having his own little secret, one that even Emma didn’t know about. Once he tried, he could be surprisingly good at hiding things.

After making the bed, the two took out some brooms and began sweeping the floor. Raven made a point of mocking how Emma always wanted the floors to be _perfectly sparkling_. She rolled her eyes and flopped down near the fireplace dramatically, leaving her brother on the floor laughing.

“Oh Raven, Emma isn’t that bad! She can be a little bit of a perfectionist, but can you blame her? She can turn her skin into diamonds! Of course she wants everything to be shiny and clean.”

“Shut up, will you?” she said playfully. “You know what I think? I think she’s got a stick up her –“

“Raven!”

The red-head pouted and crossed her arms. Charles tended to take his parents’ side on literally everything, except for the subject of her. Then again if Charles ever mentioned her to his parents, she would be sent to the chopping block. She quite liked the idea of being an exception. Sighing, Raven rolled on her back and reached up, seemingly into the sky.

“When will you gather up the courage to come flying with me?”

Charles looked up from his work and made a snort of indignation. “We’ve already had this conversation. When I sprout wings, that's when I'll gladly jump out that window.” His eyes were sparkling, Raven noticed, when she turned to look at him. Embarrassment rose hot into her cheeks.

“You're mocking me!”

Charles bit his cheek to keep from laughing. “I'm being totally serious!” The red head grinned and nonchalantly stuck out her foot as her brother passed by, concentration heavy on the broom. She burst into such satisfactory laughter when he tripped and fell that she was powerless to stop him from jumping her and tickling her sides. The two rolled around the floor a bit, struggling for dominance. Eventually they gave up and laid there on the floor, still breathing heavily from the physical exertion.

“You've gotten stronger” Raven pointed out between breaths.

“Well you know it's not like I have all day to busy myself with such things anyways.” His response was received with a shove from the red head. He turned his head and blew air in Raven's face. “Shall we finish the rest of the chores?”

The two set to polishing and waxing the floors, as well as mopping it again because they forgot that their feet could leave dirty footprints. The laundry came next. Washing the sink followed, as well as dusting in between the statues and books on the shelf. By the time they finished, it was only around nine in the morning.

Now the fun began. Raven couldn't read, so Charles found it an absolute pleasure to read to her. Lately he'd been reading _The Picture of Dorian Gray_ , which he called an “intriguing” book, though Raven didn't really know what that meant. She'd usually complain about the level of sophistication and how it made Charles sound like a snob, but at the end she would still sit cross-legged and pay her fullest attention to him. Charles was like a hypnotist, and Raven the willing victim. He never failed to put her in a trance. His voice was what Raven loved the most. She could almost imagine that he was Basil. _It's sad_ , Raven would think to herself, _but there's no one he can compare to Dorian Gray._

After the story came knitting. Charles always managed to somehow make the weirdest shapes with his yarn. This time it was a horse, except it wasn't a horse. Raven had even transformed into a horse half-way through so that the brunette could use her as a reference. It was missing a leg and looked to be disabled. One of its ears was an odd leafy shape. It was a complete insult to horses! When he was finished knitting the horse-thing she trampled it with her hooves, earning her a rough pat on the head.

“I’ll get it right next time” he promised.

Shortly after that, Charles picked up his guitar and strummed the notes to an old folk-tale while Raven sang. It was invigorating to stand beside him like this, with no one to stare at her and think she was strange. Sometime near the middle of the song, he stopped playing and just hummed along to Raven's song. Her voice truly was lovely, if only she wasn't so shy. When she finally noticed, she just blushed and stomped off to hide behind the rocking chair. It took what felt like forever to convince her to get back up and entertain him some more.

The best part of the day was when Charles would paint. Raven enjoyed watching him ever-so carefully touch the wall with the paintbrush. In his hand, even the most mundane of animals was transformed by magic into something alive and breathtaking. The red head leaned in to get a closer look at the details Charles was applying to the feathers. A shiver crept up her back. The bird was watching her, or it seemed to be doing so at least. When he finished he leaned back and smiled proudly as Raven gushed over it.

It was a raven. Charles had drawn _her_ , so confident and fierce that it almost didn’t look like her. She was free in the sky to do as she pleased. Raven’s glowing eyes followed the path of the picture, only to gasp when she realized that this small raven was part of a bigger picture. In front of her was the raven, but it gradually turned into a blue woman on a lotus flower surrounded by tigers. The woman in the painting was grinning. Dazzling crystals were flowing out of her hand into yet another painting on the opposite wall.

Charles cocked his head at his sister, hearing the rush of her thoughts as she studied the painting. He leaned on one hand, and then the other, feeling a strain on his back as he waited for her to say something rather than think it. Goodness her thoughts were loud, though why shouldn’t they be, staring at a picture done by him? The brunette wrapped his arms around the other. She was jolted out of her trance by his touch, and turned to gaze at him with wonder.

“It’s wonderful Charles! I love it! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!” she squealed as she tackled him to the ground with a tight hug.

“Oh! Raven, it’s too tight,” he blurted out, “I think I’m going to pass… out…”

She giggled and snuggled in the crook of his neck. He wheezed and held his chest, then pulled her to stand with him.

“Mind your strength, silly” he warned with a weak grin. “Ah! Look, sun’s just hit the highest support beam in the roof. You know what that means?” Of course she knew what that meant! Other than watching Charles paint, it was her favorite part of the day!

Before Charles had even started to move, Raven was already down the stairs and in the kitchen. He sighed and climbed down the stairs as slowly as possible. He chuckled as Raven stamped her foot and crossed her arms as though she were still a child and was allowed to have tantrums. He projected patience to her as softly as possible. She calmed down and sat on the couch, knowing full well what he’d done.

“That’s not fair you know,” she muttered, “that you can control people, I mean. You’re already a telepath.”

“I can’t help it, love” he replied, clambering around with the pots and pans. He found the ones he needed and set them in their place. Turning to her with a mocking grin, he pressed on her shoulders. “Aw, don’t be upset. I know, I’ll make your favorite.”

Raven turned and socked him lightly in the nose, letting him know that that was okay with her.

 

Rinse, lather, repeat. This was how Charles' day went. After lunch he and Raven spent majority of the afternoon basically doing the same things they did in the morning. It was Sebastian and Emma coming home early that was the surprise in their day. Charles rushed to stand at the bottom of the spiral staircase to greet them.

“Raven, hide!” he whispered harshly. She effortlessly shifted into a raven and fluttered onto her usual perch just in time, as Emma had just shoved through the door.

“Charles, love, we're home!” Emma called out, her voice silky.

The brunette idled at the stairs and flinched when she hugged him. Sebastian ruffled his hair as he walked past the other male.

“What'cha been doin' all day, son?” he inquired as he absentmindedly fingered the books, checking to make sure they'd been cleaned properly.

“Oh nothing in particular, dad.” The brunette stared at his feet. His father's disinterest was rolling off of him in waves. He bit his lip as he struggled to ignore the older man's thoughts. They scolded him, though he hadn't done anything wrong.

Emma cleared her throat. Charles looked back at her with round eyes. She had her gloved hands on her hips with a serious expression on her face. The look he gave her made her soften into a reserved smile. “Charles darling, as you know, your birthday is coming up soon. Your father and I have been discussing at length what to get you, but we haven't the faintest clue.” _And you're not making it any easier on me, putting up all these blocks up in your mind, dear_. It was no surprise to Charles. He hadn't wanted his mother finding out too early about his birthday wish. One word to his father and Charles would never be able to look out the window again.

The brunette giggled, making Sebastian look back at them with a gleam in his eye. “You two aren't making trouble are you?” His voice seemed to always be brimmed with warning, as if he didn't approve of the secretive way Charles and his mother communicated. Emma drummed her fingers on the railing and stepped over to stand by the other man's side. Her blue eyes pierced his, and he nodded. His emotion was obscured. Charles felt his stomach tighten when his father turned to face him. Trying to be as nonchalant as possible, he cast his power over to Sebastian and searched his thoughts for a hint of what the blonde had said to him. He squeezed his power into the size of a hummingbird and stumbled through the dark thoughts.

“Son, you've been keeping a secret from us.” His father's voice pulled him back to reality. Sebastian's frown was stern. Charles' heart skipped a beat, and he retreated up a step. Had they found out about Raven? The man opened up his arms with an uncharacteristically toothy grin and said, “Go ahead and tell us what you want! I promise we won't bite.” First came relief, then apprehension. The brunette eyed his parents and swallowed nervously, his stomach beginning to churn.

He'd been waiting a long time for this. Ever since he'd first laid eyes upon them and could remember them, Charles had wanted to see the floating lights. He could almost see them now, their warm glow eliciting a thumping deep in his gut. They only ever appeared on one day of the year, and he was absolutely sure they weren't some anomaly. It had taken a few years, but Charles had mapped every constellation in the sky, and these were not stars. These lights were _meant_ for him, he could feel it. The evidence was overwhelming. They only appeared on his birthday.

Charles took a deep breath and clasped his hands together. “Mother,” he nodded to her, “Father, what would make me the happiest person in the world is if you let me go to see the floating lights.”

Emma's confusion was followed with Sebastian's incredulous snort. “Son, you need to be more specific than that. What nonsense are you talking about?”

The brunette fidgeted with the edge of his shirt. “On my birthday every year, they float past the window.”

“You mean, they come from _outside_...?” Emma was starting to understand. She whispered something in Shaw's ear.

Sebastian's expression went from expectant to something terrible and frightening. A growl erupted from his throat, and it took all of Emma's mental strength to keep him from ripping into the boy. A beast had replaced his father.

“Emma, stay my hand, or so help me...” he ordered. The blonde sat him down and turned to face her “son”. She made sure to put on such a grieving face that she was sure it would make the boy go to sleep guilty that night.

Emma gathered Charles into her arms and stroked his head roughly. He squirmed against her bosom, which seemed to have the sole purpose of cutting off his air supply. “Honey, I am positive we've had this discussion before. However, I think I may need to reiterate.” She made sure to radiate affection as she shut the windows and locked the door. These discussions tended to get violent on Shaw's end.

It was almost too hard to say no to Charles. Emma had learned that the moment Shaw approached the Hellfire Club with the child. Yet she'd agreed to take care of him, and found out quickly how easily swayed she was by those innocent blue orbs and plump, soft lips. It was the absolute worst when he pouted at her. He had the face of an angel, and the blonde knew too well that Charles would rely on that when facing reprimand. But it had to be done. If it were left to Sebastian, Charles would be chained to his bedpost and would be left there until he had rotted away to a ghost of his former self.

“You want to go outside? Charles darling, why would you want that? Look at you, as fragile as a flower. You've just hatched from your egg, barely ready to fly the coop.” She held Charles' hands and gazed lovingly at him. “You know why you stay up in this tower - “

“I know, but -“he interrupted.

“It's so we can keep you safe and sound.” She curled the boy's hair around his finger and smiled at him. Her fingers lightly caressed his cheeks. “We knew this day was coming, but we still can't bear to let you go.”

“Oh, but why can't I -”

“Listen to your mother, dear. Mother knows best. It's a scary world out there!” Emma used her power to project the image of horrifying mobs with pitchforks and torches. Behind him, a hunched figure with foul-smelling breath and curved talons grunted at him. Charles cried out and ran into her arms, shivering. He held on tightly, and upon hearing Emma's giggle, he pushed her away and crossed his arms. “I swear, my love, something will go wrong! Nothing good lasts forever.” As she continued, she cast shadows of wriggling monsters and ghostly trees. “Ruffians, thugs, poison ivy, quicksand! Cannibals, snakes...”

Charles stared at his mother, his eyes getting bigger by the second. His lips quivered, but he refused to stop staring at her defiantly. “The plague!”

“Do not be afraid, we will not let anything happen to you” Shaw reassured from behind him. He waltzed up to them and clamped his hands down roughly on the brunette's shoulders.

Charles was reminded of the beautiful scenery Raven would show him, and the things Emma showed him contrasted to the point of being suspicious. “Will you listen to me for one second? Mother, father, the world is not all that bad! I've seen it for myself!”

Charles sent his parents a bird's-eye-view image of the forest that surrounded the tower. Small shrubs fought for sunlight with the towering birch trees while birds cawed in their nests. Blue flowers wafted in the wind, and the grass looked as soft as silk. The sky was the perfect shade of cerulean, dotted here and there with fluffy clouds. The image rolled on past rushing brooks where orange fish swam and wildcats slunk through the underbrush.

Behind him, Emma saw Shaw's face become stone. She could not stop him as he lifted his son by the neck and glared at him with nostrils flaring. Charles cried out unexpectedly and pulled at the man's arms. The blonde choked back a scream at the bloodthirsty thoughts coming her way and smiled nervously. Charles' telepathy was very powerful. His mind was already lapping at her thoughts as it was. If she so much as suggested that his father was going to hurt him, Charles would pick up on it right away. The blonde gritted her teeth at all the questions the curious boy would have after hearing such a thing.

Making her thoughts as small as a mulberry, she seeped into Sebastian's mind and veiled the murderous thoughts. _Shaw, you do not need to hurt the poor boy! Do not worry, surely a little more of this and I'll have him convinced to never even think about leaving again!_

A moment passed, and Emma felt the rage begin to wane. His heart slowed, and the muscles unclenched. Shaw set the boy down and wrapped his arms tentatively around Charles. The brunette flinched at first, but eased into the embrace willingly. 

“Charles darling, where in the world did you learn about “outside”?”

The brunette hesitated before speaking up. His blue eyes shone as he said, “I gathered bits and pieces from Azazel's and Janos' minds.” He felt relief as his parents' shoulders dropped and they sighed. The lie had done its job.

“But son, think of all the disgusting creepy-crawlers, and the ugly, fat-headed men with pointy teeth hiding behind the trees!” Charles' face went green, though it could've just as well been at the dangerous situation he'd just been in. He fought back with an image of fat bunnies and docile deer. 

Emma saw Shaw's fingers twitch, and she pressed on. “Oh but not everything is puppies and rainbows! What about all the vicious, bloodthirsty bears with their razor sharp claws and jaws that can break your neck in a heartbeat! Just think, you wouldn't have to have the displeasure of seeing any of that should you stay here!” Charles projected an image of a grizzly bear laying on its back and lazily swatting at flies.

“You mean _these_ bears?” he replied smugly. Shaw cuffed the boy on the head, reminding him of his place.

Charles' gaze dropped to his feet. He began to bite on his lip, which was a good sign that he was contemplating his parents' decision. “Come now, Sebastian and I will protect you. Besides, look at you, you'll never survive.”

Shaw pulled up a mirror as Emma tugged the boy by his shoulders. “You're sloppy and under dressed, immature and clumsy. They'll eat you up alive!” She pulled Charles away and twirled him around until he was too dizzy to stand and fell over. Around him she sashayed, still going on. “You're gullible and naïve, ditzy, and well, maybe you're getting kind of chubby...”

“Hey!” Charles' ears were red from embarrassment. Shaw picked his son up and hugged him tightly, his fingers digging into the boy's arms. Setting him down in the chair, he leaned in close to the boy's face. With an ominous expression he warned,

“Charles, never ask to leave this tower again.”

With a sigh of resignation, Charles nodded. He mumbled, “Yes father.”

“Good! Now then, let's invite Janos and Azazel over” Shaw said loudly. With that, the subject was closed. Charles felt Raven watching him with disappointment.

* * * * *

Birds chirped and bees buzzed, content with playing out the melodies of summer. The clouds inched slowly across the sky. Daffodils waved leisurely in the wind while children frolicked around the field. It was not yet sweltering hot as per usual this time of month, for the sun had just risen from its slumber. It was the perfect day for a heist.

When Remy had first pitched the idea to them, his partners in crime Anna and Erik were skeptical. The security at the castle this time of year was especially tight since the lantern festival was quickly approaching. Even when the brunette told them how much money the royal family heirloom would fetch on the black market, both had shaken their heads in dismay and lectured him about coming up with ideas when he was drunk. But his burning red eyes could be very persuasive, and one sideways glance at Erik – the most reasonable out of the group – and here they were scaling the tower walls.

Anna groaned when they finally reached the top. She flipped her white bang out of her sweaty face and helped Remy up. Erik reached up for her hand, but she withdrew it and spat at him.

“Traitor. You always take his side.”

“Yowch” Erik said with a grin. He climbed up and mocked her behind her back with the other male, pretending to be burned. Remy snickered and nudged him playfully, earning him a poke in the retaliation from the blonde. “I think she likes you.”

The brunette lifted an eyebrow and smirked. “Me? How can you be so sure?”

“Because she forgave you in an instant” his friend said lowly. “Besides, I _know_ you're a ladies' man. Ashes ashes, they all fall down.”

A few feet in front of them, their female friend grumbled and turned to smile dangerously at them. “You know how I love a good joke every now and then, but I highly doubt now is the time. Now gets your asses over here and help me!” 

Remy shook his head and uttered something in a foreign language, grinned impishly at Erik and strode over to pry the skylight open. Erik looked away from the two. While it was true that he'd practically been brought up with these two, yes they had the same goals in life, and Erik did feel a sort of kinship to these two, it was misguided. They weren't friends, he reflected. They couldn't stand being in each others presence for longer than a few minutes. They were partners, and if it came to it, each would rather save themselves. 

What would've taken the roan-haired female a decade to do took Remy a few seconds. He was, as the royal guard calls him, a master thief. Never been caught, not even once. Sometimes Erik liked to think that was the man's secondary mutation, being able to pick locks at the speed of light.

Anna punched Remy in the arm, making Erik snort. She glared in his direction.

“Don't make me take your powers” she warned, a smile playing at the edge of her lips. The blonde stood there with a smile. “I'm serious! This isn't funny. We gotta get in and out as fast as possible. Erik, do your thing so I can rake in the cash and go home.” Anna's power was the worst thing Erik had had the displeasure of encountering. She could absorb powers and memories by skin-to-skin contact. While that doesn't sound exactly “powerful”, just think as to the damage she could do if she absorbed Remy's powers, who could kinetically charge any object to explode when he sees fit. Now that is dangerous. Which is why Erik steered clear of her. He respected her, but also feared her in a way.

Erik engulfed himself in a strong magnetic field. Using it to levitate, he didn't make a sound as he gently entered the tower. He floated down and looked for the signature hum of the metal he was planning to take.

 _Verdammt_ he cursed silently. Standing right there was one of the guards. Luckily his back was facing Erik. The blonde ran his fingers nervously through his hair and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. His eyes scanned the jewelry for item they were risking their necks for. Erik hadn't realized he was holding his breath until he gasped when he found the thin, wiry crown lying on a plush pillow only a few feet in front of him.

He clasped his hands over his mouth. Had the soldier heard? Cautiously, he spared the man a glance. Relief washed over him as the soldier kept his gaze faithful to the door. With a pounding heart, the blonde lifted his fingers. The crown hovered, faltered for a second, and then made its way into Erik's hand. His pale eyes ran over every curve of the silver, followed it through the loop-de-loops, traced the feathery designs etched into it, and stopped at the sapphire right in the middle. The design really was beautiful. Too bad the late prince wouldn't ever be able to wear it.

The guard sneezed.

“Gesundheit” Erik said absentmindedly.

“Danke” the soldier replied. He stiffened at the same time Erik's eyes widened. Quickly the thief rose up as the guard turned around to apprehend him. “Stop, thief!” he yelled desperately. The last thing Erik saw was the guard pulling out his trumpet and sounding the alarm.

“You idiot!” Anna growled, slapping him on the side of the head. “Look at what you've done!” Erik stashed the crown in his satchel and followed with Anna after Remy, who was already halfway across the castle's rooftop. A steady stream of guards were flowing out of the castle gates, getting ready to meet the thieves when they eventually had to jump off the roof.

“Erik!” Remy called out, and the blonde knew exactly what he meant. He gulped and increased his magnetic field to include the other two. It was no easy feat, for he hadn't quite mastered his powers just yet. For a few suspenseful moments it seemed that it wouldn't work, for the three bobbed and bounced around. Finally Erik managed to stabilize the field, and it was smooth sailing onward. They laughed with relief as the guards stood there helpless and gawking at them. The three landed safely in the forest. Their relief was short-lived though, considering the guards had anticipated where they were going and had started hampering to get there on time.

“Doesn't this remind you of -” Remy commented before they were on the run again.

“This isn't the time, Remy!” Anna and Erik wheezed in unison.

The group passed by a tree. Hanging on it were posters. Erik skidded to a halt and backtracked to get a good look at them. There were three, with each of their faces drawn professionally in ink.

“Jene arschlöcher! They got my nose wrong!” he complained.

The other two practically fell over each other as they tried to stop, and came back grumbling. “Erik, stop complaining and move your ass!”

“Yeah, maybe _you_ don't care because you two look gorgeous! But look at me, is my nose even this _big_?” He tore the poster from the tree and held it up to his face. Remy stifled a laugh, but Anna was having none of it.

“We've got to get going!”

Erik sighed exasperatedly and crumpled the poster. He sprinted to catch up to them. It wasn't much effort when he didn't need to go far. There was no where else for them to go. The three were stuck with a cliff mocking them from above.

A plan surfaced in the blonde's head. He looked frantically around, and when he thought his acting was sufficient, he tugged on Remy's arm.

“Hoist me up, and I'll pull you two after me” he suggested.

Anna pulled the brunette from Erik's grip and sneered in his face.

“Why should we believe a thing you say? You're a thief and a liar, just like the rest of us.”

Remy shrugged his shoulders and pulled Anna to his side. “I have an idea, _mon cherie_ ,” he said in that strange language of his, “Erik, give us the satchel, and we'll help you over the cliff. Then you will pull us up, since you wouldn't want to lose your precious satchel, _n'est ce pas?_ ”

Erik contemplated it. He thought better of it and tossed the bag to the man. Grinning, he took the brunette's hand. Remy grunted as he lifted the blonde over his shoulders. Erik scrambled over the side of the cliff and stood up, dusting his hands on his pants.

“All right, now lift us up!” Anna called. Erik turned to smirk at them. He swung the satchel between his hands. Satisfaction hit home when he saw the bewildered look on their faces.

“Sorry Anna, Remy, but I've got places to go and money to make. See you later!”

The horsemen approached them slowly and poked crossbows into their backs. They had been caught.

“Damn you, Lehnsherr!” Anna cried after him.

They tugged the thieves along, though a certain white horse would not budge. He lifted his snout and sniffed at the air. Narrowing his eyes, he raced off. The others stared after him, wondering what on earth could make Pietro race off like that.

 

Erik swore as he ducked under branch after branch. Leaves stuck to his hair, twigs stuck out from a hole in his sleeve, and all of this was because of some horse chasing him. 

Actually, that was the casual way of putting it. 

The horse hounded after him relentlessly. Its pursuit of him had lasted the course of a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity. Erik's legs ached, and he had grown tired of this. It took all of his strength not to just let the horse catch him and bring him back to prison to be executed. Well, at least he'd only committed two crimes in his entire life: Multiple counts of thievery, and being a mutant.

Jaws snapped at his hair. Erik yelped as he dove for cover underneath some bushes. This horse was possessed! He wriggled on his hands and knees, barely avoiding the horse's hooves trying to trample him. Pausing, Erik gauged the distance between the horse and the next possible escape route. He rolled out and scrambled to his feet. The white demon had fast reflexes, shoving him hard in the back. Blacking out for a second, the blonde was surprised to find himself bouncing on the horses' back.

“Oh why thank you!” The horse whinnied violently and shook its head. “Can't shake me off that easily!” Erik taunted. It stopped abruptly, sending Erik flying. His satchel flew off of him and landed on a branch hanging from the cliff right in front of him. He rolled his eyes. “Why are there so many cliffs in this place?”

The two stared at each other for just a moment before springing to life after the satchel. Erik pushed against the horse, and it pushed back twice as hard. The thief landed hard on his back and was left panting for a split second before he rolled under the horse and grasped at the satchel. The white devil wasn't giving up though, and chomped down on his hand. Erik used his free hand to force the horse's muzzle out of his face.

While the two jostled each other, the branch they were clinging to moaned. It had reached its breaking point. It took one second for the beasts to register the snap and crackle of the branch, and another to realize they were falling. Erik clung to the horse. With a quick maneuver he switched their positions so that the horse would receive the blunt of the fall. It whinnied and tried to clip his ear, though it failed as twigs slapped it in the face. The thief's cries were muffled with all the leaves collecting in his mouth.

As suddenly as it began, it was over.

Erik rolled over, groaning. He ran his fingers through his golden locks and slicked them back into place. Spitting out a few leaves, he got up and searched his surroundings. Somehow between the fall and the landing they – meaning him and the horse – had gotten separated. He didn't mind it though. It meant more time to get away from the monster.

* * * * *

Charles dragged on miserably upstairs as his parents busied themselves with their friends. At some point Azazel had come upstairs and awkwardly handed him a beautifully wrapped bracelet.

If his skin wasn't so red already, Charles bet that he was blushing as he muttered a happy birthday to the boy. Charles had that effect on people. The man's tail lashed as he kept looking at Raven.

“That's an awfully... pretty bird you got there.” His thick accent made Charles strain to understand him.

“Her name's Raven. You can pet her if you like” Charles offered.

The man strolled up casually to the bird, but his thoughts told a different story. Charles cringed as _This wasn't here before. Where did the boy get this from? Should I alert Shaw?_ whirled around the room. Somehow sensing his panic, Raven cawed at the stranger approaching her and flew out the window. Relief washed over the other man, and he readjusted his coat.

“Nice to see you again Charles. By the way, your parents are going with us to the market. They were wondering if you'd changed your mind about your birthday present?”

The brunette flopped down onto his bed and hummed loudly. “Um, could they get me that paint set made from those special seashells? I've run out and they are top quality...”

He heard the snap and crackle of Azazel's power twisting the space around him. When he peered up, the man was gone. Letting out a heavy sigh, he fell back onto the bed. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he could not stop them from falling, even when Raven flew back in and shifted back into her normal form.

When Raven tried to approach the brunette, he let out a growl fiercer than the redhead thought was possible for a boy like Charles. Aggressively he wiped at his eyes and slammed his fists into the defenseless pillows. She watched him, not saying a word. She had just seen for herself how controlling and awful Charles' parents were, and could not for the life of her figure out why he loved them so much.

Some time passed before Charles had calmed down. Raven's yellow eyes flickered at the thought of the boy's trembling body. The entire time he hadn't made a sound, minus the small grunt of effort as he shifted the pillows neatly back into place. She tussled his wavy hair to let him know that everything was okay with her. The way his face turned red when he was angry was lovely. It showed that he was still a human being, not some perfect doll crafted by Emma and Sebastian.

 

At some point the two had dozed off, Raven on the floor and Charles on the bed. When she looked outside again, the sky was slightly darker. Orange bathed the walls, giving the room the impression of being lit on fire. She roused Charles and made her way to the window. A soft breeze had begun to blow, making her shiver. Charles sleepily stood beside her. While he was rubbing at his eyes, Raven strained her eyes at a speck at the edge of the forest underbrush. It was getting closer. Perhaps it was one of the family friends?

Well whoever it was, they were making their way to the tower at an astonishing speed. It was a little too fast for Raven to be comfortable, and she tried to be discreet as possible when her hand snaked in front of Charles' chest as a shield. He yawned, still not having seen the threat approaching them. Her glowing eyes were having a hard time concentrating between Charles and the figure closing in on them.

 _It'll go away if it doesn't see us. I sure hope Charles isn't planning on making any sudden movements in the near future._ She kept her thoughts as quiet as possible. Even the smallest hint of panic and Charles, having the secondary power of empathy, would pick up on it.

“Hello? Is anybody up there?” a deep voice called out. Raven cursed.

Charles was startled out of his groggy stupor and stuck his head out the window. A pair of icy blue eyes squinted up at him. The eyes belonged to that of a stranger. For a moment, he stood absolutely still, just awestruck at the man standing at the base of the tower. The realization was suddenly too much for Charles, and he had to sit down before he fainted inexplicably. Raven fanned her brother. She made good work of dabbing at the beads of sweat dripping down his forehead.

There was a _stranger_ at his door.

What should he do?

To be continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> Verdammt – damn  
> Gesundheit – a response to sneezing  
> Danke – thank you  
> Jene arschlöcher – those assholes  
> Mon cherie – my cherry  
> n'est ce pas – right?
> 
> Oh my goodness, wasn't this a long chapter! So much exposition, though I think it was necessary for those who aren't familiar with X-Men, or with Tangled (though honestly, who hasn't watched Tangled?) This is going to be so much fun to write, I'm sure of it. I'm so glad I made Pietro the horse, 'cause Erik's gunna get his ass handed to him (and after all he's been through, who wouldn't want that lol) Wait ignore that, I can't be playing favorites! Please wait patiently for the next chapter o v o


	3. Realizing the dream

There was a stranger at his door.

Charles clapped his hands over his mouth to keep from screaming his heart out. He was sure he hadn’t imagined the stranger standing out there with his hand shielding his eyes, his chest heaving heavily from a long run. At this point, he would’ve rather this just be a guilty figment of his imagination. Anything to keep him from having to face the reality that his parents’ worst fears were coming true, and that they weren’t here to help him.

Hold on a second.

His parents’ worst nightmare was happening right here and now, and he was technically home alone. An idea flashed in the brunette’s mind. He would prove to his parents that he could indeed handle whatever imaginary nightmares they perceived to exist outside the tower by taking on the stranger outside! The brunette gesticulated and muttered to himself as he paced back and forth, formulating a brilliant plan. Charles would allow the man to climb up the tower, the danger lurking behind the window unbeknownst to him. Somehow he would incapacitate the stranger and then keep him knocked out long enough so that when his parents returned, they’d see just how well he took care of himself and let him off to see the floating lights. _I’m so clever sometimes that I amaze myself!_ Charles thought proudly.

Humming as he paced around, the boy imagined the scenario in his head. He would need a weapon, that’s for sure. What he should use was a different story altogether. Charles was positive he didn’t want to get hot blood all over his hands, so any sharp objects were definitely out of the question. A broom wasn’t messy at first, but it wasn’t hard enough to do the damage the brunette needed it to do. After all, the handle provided the same problem the knife did: he’d have to hit the man on the head enough times to get him down, and blood spatter would be an issue. Plus, he didn’t want to kill the poor fool, just make him see his mistake in coming here. 

Taking a wild guess at what he was doing, Raven snuck down the stairs so she wouldn’t alert the stranger of the tower’s inhabitants and grabbed the first item she laid eyes on. She came back up the stairs and held it out to Charles, whose eyes widened upon seeing the object. It was round with a firm, non-slip handle, black and glistening, and hard enough to do just the right amount of damage.

“Raven you’re a genius! A frying pan? Why didn’t I think of that?”

She grinned as he took it from her. While testing out his swing, a rock nestled itself in the pit of his belly. The thought wouldn't have occurred to him had the nervousness not set in. “Raven, I don’t think either of us has ever hurt somebody, and well, this pan is kind of heavy…” He hesitated before slackening his arm. The pan hung limply at his side, the user obviously reluctant to use it.

“No way Charles, are you scared? I can _smell_ him. He’s too close for you to back down now!” Raven whispered harshly.

She really could see right through him. He took a step back at this, incredulous. “That's not what I'm saying at all! I just don't know if I can hit him hard enough –” he stopped mid-sentence. He scratched his head and sat down on the edge of the bed, a look of hard concentration on his face. Now that he contemplated it, Charles realized that perhaps he didn't have to do anything at all. While he was not ready to hit somebody in the head with the pan that didn't mean he wasn't going to protect himself, and the brunette knew the perfect way for this to happen.

The red-head cocked her head curiously before grinning and settling on trusting her brother. Whatever he was thinking, it had to be good. He had that special twinkle in his eye. Her blue scales rippled and flickered as she transformed back into a raven. She flew up and perched on the window frame, taking care to not scratch the painting of a phoenix that Charles had done a few weeks ago. Its bright, flaming wings gave her courage, but at the same time filled her with anxiety. 

The brunette male noticed his companion was getting antsy, and smiled reassuringly at her, even though he did not feel reassured. He stepped into the corner by the window and held onto the frying pan for dear life. Its cold exterior did him a favor. Charles had just begun to break a sweat. A thousand and one scenarios were playing in his head, and all of them ended in his plan failing. Was this how mother and father felt every time they left Charles alone in the house?

“Hello? _Hello?_ ” a hoarse voice called out. A scratching noise, and then the stranger was pulling himself over the ledge. He grunted as his body piled onto the floor. Standing up, the stranger dusted his hands on his pants and inspected his setting. “What the...” he muttered as his eyes trailed over the numerous paintings that covered the walls from top to bottom. Charles seized his chance and tiptoed behind the awestruck intruder.

Charles tapped the trespasser on the shoulder. The man jumped and spun around, making Charles jump. The brunette took no time projecting his influence into the stranger's mind. A cold resistance met him, and Charles struggled to get through the metal wall that had suddenly been erected. He would have to look for a weak spot somewhere if he wanted to manipulate the man. The stranger narrowed his eyes suspiciously and opened his mouth to say something. _I'm wasting time!_ Almost panicking, Charles quickly located and slipped into a crack in the wall, and plastered his banner on the interior of the man's mind. 

_Obey me._

The stranger stiffened. The brunette took a tentative step towards the intruder, waiting for him to yell or charge forward. The man was nothing but silence. Charles waved his hand in front of the man's face. No reaction. His pupils had grown rather large, his face emotionless. Tucking the pan under his arm, Charles took a gulp and prodded the man's side with his index finger. He flinched back and again waited for some consequence. Still nothing. He stroked his hand along the man's arm, then did a silly little jig. All of it was met with nothing. Now sure of himself, Charles stood up and circled around the stranger, making sure he would never forget the man who indirectly helped him achieve his goal. 

Now that he'd had a chance to look at him, Charles realized that this man was like a prince straight from the fairy tales that his mother used to tell him. The man was tall and slender with a presence that commanded attention, even as stoic as he was. He had big hands with long delicate fingers. He possessed a chiseled jaw and pointed nose. His eyes were a beautiful shade of pale blue, the kind that Charles, when painting, reserved for only the most alluring figures. The hair on his head was golden in the sunlight. He would never voice this, but the brunette could've sworn this man was sculpted from alabaster. How pretty.

An amused chuff from Raven jostled Charles back to reality. He sputtered and wiped at his reddening cheeks. This was most certainly an embarrassing time for him to be caught ogling a stranger, and by Raven of all people! Once his thumping heart had settled, he turned his attention back on the handsome intruder.

“Could you hold this for me sir?” Charles asked, utilizing his innocent blue orbs. The opposition relented for just a moment, prompting the brunette to further attempt to bend the intruder's will. He allowed the stranger to grab the pan from him. “Good. Now can you hit yourself with it?”

The blonde did as he was told. The pan connected with the stranger's face, making a loud _whang!_ It was a total shock to Raven, whose loud cawing startled Charles into falling on his backside. There was a loud thump, and now Charles had an unconscious man on the floor of his bedroom. Somehow he didn't feel the satisfaction he thought he'd get from such a feat. His gut clenched with guilt.

Raven flew over to the body and tapped the man on the head twice. Hopping over his arm, she tugged at his ear with her beak. _I don't think he's waking up_ she thought matter-of-factly.

“You don't say” Charles replied bluntly. He drummed his fingers on his knees, thinking of what to do with him now. Oh wait, it would be best to hide him now wouldn't it? The brunette sighed at the thought of such a chore. Nevertheless, it had to be done. With an impressive grunt, Charles looped his arm underneath the stranger's armpit and lifted him up. He looked around for a place to settle the body, finally deciding on the armoire. 

The body did not respond to being stuffed into a dresser very well. Several times it slumped into awkward positions. Since it was too heavy, the doors to the dresser would be thrown open and Charles would once again have to stuff him in. Once or twice it fell out right on top of the brunette. Of course, the idea of having such an attractive body around him was not what repulsed Charles. It was the disturbing way in which it would just flop around like a rag doll when he tried to shove him off. This plan was beginning to look more and more tedious by the minute. Hopefully it would all be worth it when he was far away gazing at the floating lights.

Finally, after propping a chair in front of the dresser to keep the doors closed, Charles could say with confidence that he had handled this all perfectly. The body was completely stuffed thanks to some effort on Raven's part. When he turned to clean up the mess he'd made, he noticed a glint in the corner of the room. Curiosity got the better of him, and in a heartbeat he was picking the object up and inspecting it. _Oh wow, this is beautiful!_ Charles thought as he turned it over in his hands. It was a crown as far as he could tell. It glittered silver and looked very valuable. The intruder had probably dropped it when he fell over. _Hmm, better hide this. It might be important for later. Now_ the plan was complete.

Charles took a peek outside the window. It was dark now. There was no way his parents were traveling in the dark. _Looks like I'll have to settle down for the night and wait 'til morning_ Charles thought. He slipped into his bed, but his eyes refused to close. The prospect of a successful plan left an itchy sensation in his legs, and the brunette found he could not rest. The excitement after today's events were still rushing through his veins. He tossed and turned, but sleep still evaded him. He tried to concentrate on counting sheep. Even the sheep did not want to rest. They wanted to play, and danced around mirthfully. _Useless sheep_ Charles thought with a mischievous grin. Their idea seemed the more fun alternative. But no, he had to sleep. 

Raven lifted her head and chided her brother with a huff. She could understand why he wouldn't be able to sleep, so she crept over to the side of the bed. Only when she dropped herself at the foot of the bed was Charles comfortable enough to try his hand at sleeping. She'd shifted into a large dog and the heat emanating from her body was enough to get the brunette to promptly doze off. This wouldn't be a long night after all.

* * * * *

When the door slammed open below them, Charles leaped out of bed and rushed downstairs. His heart pounded with excitement as he hugged his mother and father.

“Charles, what has gotten into you?” Emma asked with affection. She glanced at Shaw before hugging the brunette just as tightly. Charles hurried to sit his father down and sat cross-legged in front of him. The blonde sat on the arm of the chair and wrapped an arm around Shaw.

“Charles, you look like you have ants in your pants. Settle down” Shaw pointed out with a throaty laugh. Charles blushed and tried with some effort to sit still. “What's gotten into you, son?”

Charles took a deep breath to calm his pounding heart, letting the three sit in silence for a few moments. This was it, the most important part of the plan. If he wasn't convincing then all of this would be for nothing. He fidgeted with the folds of his pants as he searched for a way to appropriately start the discussion.

“You remember how you told me that I couldn't handle myself in the outside world?”

With that question, the lighthearted tone had been erased. Shaw's tone was cold as he said, “Son, I thought we told you _that_ discussion was over for good.”

“B-but father, I have proof that I can handle myself very well!”

A sigh told the brunette that this already wasn't off to a good start. The man rose to his feet and loomed ominously over Charles. “ _What_ did I tell you?”

Charles sat up straighter and looked his father in the eye. Desperation nipped at him, making his mind fumble for the words. “I _know_ what you s-said, but could you just listen to me for a second –”

Shaw's hand twitched, and before Emma could stop him he unleashed a blast of energy into the wall, destroying the wall and possibly the room on the other side as well. He shook with rage and turned on the now trembling boy at his feet. “Father, please I beg you, I can show you if you'd let me –“

“Charles that is enough!” Emma scolded, effectively shutting the boy up. Hurrying the brunette away, her eyes were wide with shock as she led him upstairs into his bedroom. Charles' horror and despair hit him all at once. It was comparable to being punched in the gut, and he crumpled to his knees in front of his mother and buried his head in her lap. She attempted to soothe him while at the same time calming herself. Raven watched from her perch with beady eyes.

It was a long time before either of them had the boldness to speak. With a shaky voice, Emma began, “Charles, I was thinking about what you asked, about the paint made from those special shells you like so much.” She waited for a reply. When she got none, she continued. “They're very expensive, and can only be bought at the sea side market. Your father and I will be gone for three days.”

At this he lifted his head. Emma wiped at his blustered face and smiled reassuringly at him. “You heard right. You'll be alone for three days, and we trust you won't get into trouble. I understand it's a long wait for a birthday present but –“

“No mother, it's all right” Charles interrupted. Behind his watery eyes, he was coming up with yet another plan. Little did his parents know, they'd practically given this one to him on a silver platter. “I can be patient when I want to be. Thank you for going to all the trouble. I'm...” he paused, looking for a word that pulled at the heart strings, “ _grateful_ for that, honestly.”

The blonde patted his head and shifted from her seat. Charles breathed a sigh of relief. Good, his answer had satisfied her. He wrestled with the idea of not bothering to wait for his parents to leave before ripping the unconscious body out of his dresser and running for the hills. Then again, that would be the perfect plan, that is, if he wanted to get caught and be chained to his bed for all eternity.

 

“We're leaving Charles! Be good now!” Emma called from below.

The door slammed shut, and the house was appreciatively empty. Charles had Raven fly around the tower twice just to make sure no one was around. As she'd done this, he'd pulled the body out of the armoire and tied it to a chair. Thank goodness for that book on tying knots that Janos had gotten him three years ago!

Raven fluttered over and stood on the man's shoulder. She pulled at his ear with her beak. Charles seated himself in front of the unconscious man, his eyes once again tracing the hard outline of said man's features. He really was gorgeous. It took all of Charles' strength to not paint him here and now. Though it seemed he would have no time for that. The man seemed to be waking up.

Eric muttered something and lifted his head up. He got a face full of feathers as something flew away from him. His groggy state made his vision swim, and he found himself retching. Obviously he'd had nothing to eat since yesterday morning. Nothing came up but dry, hard coughs. A hammering pain pounded on his head, making him groan. What had happened to make him feel so terrible? He attempted to wipe at his eyes, only to find that movement was restricted. Straining himself didn't help. Tugging at the ropes that held him back only made his headache worse.

Instead of trying to free himself, the blonde tried remembering what happened the day before. He was climbing a tower, and when he finally made it in through the window, that's where everything got hazy. But he definitely remembered one thing: those big blue eyes gazing at him and the utter loss of control of his body that followed. Being bewitched was not on his list of things he liked. Eric definitely remembered how his free will had been slowly drained, leaving him to the whims of the brunette who now sat in front of him.

“Hello there, sir” the brunette greeted. The first thing Eric noted now were those same blue eyes from yesterday. What struck him was the intensity of those orbs and how fixated they were on each of his movements. He paused, staring back. The stranger, with flushed cheeks, coughed awkwardly and stood up. He crossed his arms and tried as hard as possible to look menacing. “Who are you?”

“Beg pardon?” Erik's head still ached, and that made him hard of hearing.

“Who are you? Why have you come to my tower?”

“I...? Oh! I am Erik Lehnsherr. And I'm not sure I follow. Why did I come to your tower?”

Charles stepped forward with glittering eyes. There was a fierceness behind them as he said with more force, “Call it fate or destiny or whatever –“

“Uh, a _horse_ perhaps –“

“But there was a purpose in you coming to _my_ tower specifically.”

Erik had to raise his eyebrow at that. He'd never been a believer of “fate” as this kid was referring to. It was kind of hard not to find this completely unbelievable. Just yesterday he was a renowned thief known for stealing the one prized possession of the kingdom, and now he had some crazy but cute kid prattling on about destiny. Oh how far they fall. 

Charles bit his lip. This man's face was incredulous, and that was not a good thing. His jiggled his thoughts around, looking for a different way to approach the situation. “Check yourself. You seem to be missing something.”

Erik cocked his head and fumbled around for an answer. He was vaguely aware of an itching feeling, like he was forgetting something important. His eyes widened when he realized and he jerked himself against the restraints. “My satchel! Where did you put my satchel?”

“Now that I've got your attention... I want to make a deal.”

The blonde stopped struggling and glanced at Charles. “What sort of deal?”

“You know those floating lights that seem to appear out of nowhere around this time of year?”

“Ah, you mean the floating lantern festival the kingdom holds every year for the missing prince. What about them?”

Charles bit his lip, which made Erik stare. Could his lips get any redder than that? The brunette was speaking again. “If you can take me to see them and then bring me back to my tower _safely_ , then I will give you your satchel back.”

Erik contemplated it. He looked skeptically at the boy in front of him and in trying to avoid laughing, he sputtered.

Charles was red-faced as he asked angrily, “What is so funny? It is a reasonable request!”

“It's nothing.” Erik tilted his head back and forth. This was a terrible idea, he knew. But he wanted that satchel back at any cost. He tried to think of a way that he could weasel out of this, but the kid looked determined. “I didn't want to do this but...” The blonde knew that he had a menacing face. He'd been told before by Remy that if he pulled his face in a certain way, he could get anybody to do anything for him. He jerked his head up.

Charles was met with a dark expression. He had to admit that this man's sharp teeth, when combined with that scowl and foreboding eyes, on any other day would've scared him into hiding under his bed for three days. Not today however. Charles sighed and tapped his foot impatiently.

“It doesn't usually happen like this. This is an off day for me” Erik admitted with slight defeat. He gave a huff and slackened his jaw. “Fine, I'll take you to see the festival.”

And just like that, Charles had gotten what he wanted. He wasn't sure whether to jump for joy or cry out of sheer terror at the idea of going outside. Either way, when Raven had transformed back into her scaly self and charged into the brunette with a hug, he couldn't help but hug her back. “Raven, I'm going to see the floating lights!” he exclaimed.

“I know, I know!” she yelled back excitedly.

When the two got up, they noticed Erik's wide open jaw. “Erik, this is my sister Raven. Raven, this is... oh well you know, that wretched thief we caught last night.” She mock-curtsied and grinned at him, mimicking his sharp teeth.

“How in the hell did you do that?” he asked with amazement. Erik laughed. His heart swelled with joy at his discovery. “Never mind, don't answer that. Wow, there are others like me!” His eyes darted between the both of them, and stopped when they just stared at him awkwardly.

“Well duh” Charles said, rolling his eyes. “How do you think I got you to hit yourself with my frying pan yesterday?”

Charles' sarcasm was not appreciated. Erik did not let that ruin his good mood though. “So you're a shapeshifter,” he nodded in Raven's direction, “and you're a...?”

“Telepath” Charles finished. “I read minds. I also picked up this nifty trick of controlling and influencing people.”

“He's also an empath” Raven said, knocking him in the arm. _So many powers_ the blonde thought with nervousness. She seemed to reply to his thoughts. “Yeah, Charles is brilliant!”

“I must say I agree” Erik said with a low rumble. The brunette that Erik now knew to be Charles was abashed.

“You don't have to tell me twice” he laughed.

It was suddenly hot in the room. “So then, the floating lanterns...” Erik was dying to get out of these restraints.

“Oh right!” Charles rushed to untie the blonde. Erik relished being free. The ropes had left a burn in his arms that he was sure would last for at least a day. It served him right for struggling so much.

“One moment.” Raven ducked behind a load of pillows. The two watched as she searched for something. “Ah here we go.” She handed the frying pan from yesterday to Charles.

“Right, I may need this” he reflected.

Before Erik knew what he was doing, he used his power to lift the metal pan out of the brunette's hands. Pride rushed through him when he noticed the surprised and amazed expressions of his fellow mutants.

“Wow that's amazing!” Charles gushed. Erik gave a toothy grin and made a figure eight and then a loop. The more the brunette and his sister gawked, the wider his smile got. This was all strange somehow. Remy and Anna had never cared about this aspect of his power, the beauty and elegance to it. When he looked at these two, they were genuinely interested in _him_ and what he had the potential to do.

“This is so I can protect you two” Erik said.

“Oh please, I don't need your protection!” Raven giggled. Now it was Erik's turn to stare once again as the red head's scales simmered and shifted about until she had become a fuming hippo. Her red eyes glowed as she snorted into the air.

Never had Erik had so much fun showing off his powers like this. His very core felt cleansed and refreshed, as if being with his other companions had blackened his heart and now he was stepping into the light. The blonde found he quite liked the feeling of being with these two. When he looked again, Raven had shifted back into her bird form. Her beady eyes were full of the glee he had just witnessed in these few moments, so he knew it was still her.

Raven was the first to leave the tower. She had grown accustomed to it after all. Spreading her wings was second nature to her, and she dived out the window with the poise and grace of a ballerina. Erik went next. His skin prickled as his magnetic field wrapped around him like a ghost's fingers. As he was lifted, he felt his sleeve being tugged.

“Um Erik, I'm sorry but I have no way of getting down from here” Charles mumbled, his feet seeming to become more interesting by the second. Erik swallowed nervously and pulled Charles into his field.

“If I drop you, it's not my fault” he advised, a tight smile on his face. The brunette nodded and clung to the man's arm. The two smoothly floated out the window. The farther they got from the tower, the tighter Charles' hold got. Erik was starting to fear that he'd lose the circulation to his arm, but he could not help but love the uneasy expression on the brunette's face. It seemed when he got nervous or thought too hard, he would chew on his lip. It was the cutest gesture ever. The heat rushing to Erik's stomach made him stop short. Oh no, this was not happening. He would _not_ let this happen. He coughed and looked anywhere but at Charles. Erik had to admit that Charles was... interesting. There was nothing wrong with that, was there? He had to distract himself somehow, so he did so with conversation.

“Are you ready for this? We're almost on the grass” Erik warned. Charles nodded. His expression said otherwise.

Charles couldn't help but be afraid. After all the scenery Raven had let him roam through in her head, he still felt queasy at the thought of being outside the tower. Everyone saw things in a different light, so there was a one hundred percent guarantee he would feel the grass differently, smell the forest differently, even see the same colors differently. Was it really all as beautiful as Raven made it out to be? The brunette couldn't even bring himself to secretly read Erik's mind to find out. He was not against manipulation, but he was against reading into a person's entire life without their permission. Besides, ever since yesterday, Erik's almost impenetrable wall had become completely impenetrable.

That left one option: He had to find out on his own. That chance was coming up quickly, as their feet were just a little ways from the ground. Charles tensed as he prepared to face the worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Writing Erik's reaction to seeing Charles for the first time and vice-versa was an interesting challenge that I hope I'll never have to do again. Seriously, what is up with character descriptions, and why do I have to do them? I've never been good with all the touchy-feely stuff, so if their emotions seem a little bit forced or awkward, that's because I suck at writing emotional reactions. I also had no beta-reader for this chapter, so sorry for all the glaring mistakes and inconsistencies, wherever they may be.
> 
> I also happen to notice that this chapter is shorter than the other one. That's because the next one might be long. Hope it's not too much of a problem, I just didn't want to drag out this chapter with even more exposition.
> 
> I tried to show more of Charles' manipulative nature, since that's how he is in the comics. Hopefully I placed it in all the appropriate places since what is character consistency?


	4. Chasing the dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little prelude to the action that's going to happen in the next chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh God I'm so sorry this chapter took so long, and I'm sorry it's so short. I had a trip to Italy from the end of July all the way to the beginning of August, then my relatives came over for the entirety of the month, then university started and well... life's gotten in the way so now I barely have time to do anything that involves thinking. I'm probably not going to be able to begin writing again until after my exams, so don't expect anything for at least another two weeks.

Erik released his magnetic field, making the two drop onto the ground. Charles tentatively dipped his toes in the grass. It tickled, making him jolt. He attempted to avoid it, but all that accomplished was him hopping around until he finally just slipped and fell backwards into the field. The grass was so long it blanketed Charles as he lay there with wide eyes.

“Oh, oh my...” the brunette gasped. “That was unexpected.”

He found he was surrounded by all shades of green. The underbrush, the leaves, all the vines and flowers danced with the breeze, encouraging him to participate. Charles leaped up and let out a roar of laughter as he ran through the grass and jumped over a cluster of buttercups. The cool sensation of the grass left his toes tingling, and soon he was rolling through it again in order to feel it everywhere on his body.

“Just smell the grass, the dirt; they're just like I dreamed they'd be!” he exclaimed to no one in particular. The brunette got to his feet again and dashed around. Every once in a while he'd pull out a bunch of flowers and throw them in the air with an excited yell. The breeze picked up and suddenly dandelion fluff was floating all around him. “That summer breeze... it's calling me.” His voice was carried away by the wind. He had the urge to run, and as he bounded around the field he found his feet submerged in cool water. Charles splashed and sploshed, his inner child jumping for joy.

“For the first time ever,” he inhaled a lung full of fresh air, “I'm finally free!”

A blue bird fluttered by him, trumpeting in celebration for him. Charles spun around and followed it, his heart pounding faster and faster in time with every step. Every gulp of air brought on a cluster of wonderful sensations. As his arms brushed past the rainbow of flowers hanging from vines, a new found passion erupted in his chest. He ducked into the space between the rocks in the cliff side and burst into a clearing in the forest.

And now it was silent, except for Charles' heavy panting. Where were Erik and Raven? He wanted to share all of this with them. For a brief moment, all time had stopped, and Charles was left standing in this scene from a storybook. The brunette took a step, and gasped at the softness of the earth. He was unable to make a sound, his tongue caught on the beauty of it all. Did the whole world look like this?

Erik and Raven wandered out from the path in the cliff. The blonde stepped beside him while Raven shifted into her human form and grabbed hold of Charles' hand, squeezing tightly.

“Show me” she whispered, trying not to cripple the delicacy of the moment. The brunette unleashed his full power onto her. He filled her to the brim with the liveliness of the forest. Raven jerked back and fell to her knees. She was hearing the symphony of the forest, and it was exciting and frightening all at once. The booming of a distant waterfall, the slithering of a garden snake, the sky dotted with clouds; these images and sounds roared inside the redhead.

Raven stood up, still looking dazed. Erik rushed to her side as she wobbled and looked at her with worry. “That was unbelievable” she choked out. Realizing that the stranger had gotten rather close to her, she pulled away. The redhead steadied herself and transformed back into a raven. She took her rightful place on Charles' left shoulder. 

The blonde shook his head and walked a few steps before turning and raising his eyebrow. He did not understand what Charles had just shown Raven, and he was not interested in trying. This mission was dubious at best. Time was already against him and he did not want to waste any more by learning how to paint with all the colors of the wind. The brunette's telepathy was something to be reckoned with, but Erik did not have such sentimental feelings about _nature_ of all things. Charles' power should be used for something more useful.

“Are we done? I want to get out of this part of the forest before sunset.”

Charles pursed his lips and struggled to keep up, the man in front of him taking very long strides. The two walked on, Erik stopping every once in a while to make sure Charles was still following him.

 

“No wait Charles! What are you doing, put that down!”

Charles froze, his hand inches away from his open mouth. In it were hemlock berries, which – thanks to his partners in crime – Erik knew to be extremely poisonous. The blonde rushed to his side and swatted the berries out of Charles' hand. He then turned on the boy. “You could've gotten yourself killed you idiot! Next time you need to ask first!” Erik's face burned, his frustration making itself evident. This was the third time the brunette had picked up something he thought he could munch on, only for it to turn out to be dangerous. The blonde had had enough of this. He crossed his arms, but guilt swelled up in his gut when Charles looked awkwardly at his feet.

With a sigh, Erik changed his tone. “Are you hungry?” Charles' gaze snapped up, his eyes sparkling. “Okay okay, I get it. Let's see if we can find something appropriate to eat.” As the two walked in silence next to each other, a warmth bloomed in Erik’s chest. While he did not care for how enthralled Charles was with the forest, he _did_ care about how beautiful the brunette’s eyes got every time he set his sights on something new.

A rustling in the bushes snapped Erik from his thoughts, or rather, Charles clinging to him was what brought the blonde back to reality. Charles had a frying pan at the ready while Raven’s caws were edged with threats. “S-stand back” Erik instructed as he apprehensively approached the offending greenery.

“What is it? Ruffians? Thugs?!” Charles practically screamed into Erik’s ear.

A rather fat rabbit leapt into the open. It cocked its head at them with disinterested eyes.

“Careful, it can smell your fear” Eric warned.

Only when it hopped into back into the underbrush did Charles release his death grip of Erik’s arm. He timidly stepped down and brushed some hair behind his ear. “Sorry about that.”

“So I’m guessing you want to stay away from ruffians and thugs?” Erik questioned. The hint of playfulness edging his voice gave way to yet another brilliant idea. He kept the thought from surfacing for fear of Charles reading his mind. “I think I know exactly where we can get something to eat.”

* * * * *

Blonde curls bounced as Emma stomped her way through the underground tunnel. The clacking of her heels echoed around her. It was dank and dirty, not even close to acceptable conditions in her mind. How Sebastian had convinced her to come back she would never know. _Leave it to Shaw to forget something as important as our money_ she thought bitterly. 

A shiver crept up her back while she was climbing the stairs and retrieving the keys to open the living room door. Emma jolted and inspected behind her before she opened it. A small part of her was scared at the thought of Sebastian finding out about _what she'd done_ and oh gods what he'd _do_ if he did, but another part of her was thrilled that Charles was finally taking life by the reigns and riding it into the sunset. It was difficult not to be happy for him, but she was starting to regret this.

Little did Emma know, Sebastian had followed her. He hadn't forgotten all his years of sneaking about and ducking away from wary gazes. His wife really needed a reminder on how to avoid being followed. With twitchy fingers he watched her look around suspiciously, saw how withdrawn her body language was, how red her face was. Shaw stepped behind her as she was digging around in the drawers searching for the money he'd told her he'd forgotten.

Only a liar could spot another liar.

He knew she'd been hiding something since they left. She wouldn't even look at him when he asked her if she could mentally check up on Charles. For a psychic as manipulative as herself, her eyes had easily betrayed her thoughts.

Sebastian grabbed her and spun her around. She screamed and attempted to hit him in the nose, only to stop when she realized who it was.

“My my, Emma, you're so jumpy today. You're acting like you've done something _wrong_ ” he said, his voice dripping with venom. Her breath hitched, and she looked at him with half-lidded eyes.

“You merely scared me, my love” she whispered hoarsely. Shaw could feel her pulse thrumming in the fingers he had wrapped around her wrist. Rage bubbled under the surface of his skin, and he twisted. It was satisfying to hear the snap come from her wrist, but even more so when she yelled and fought to pull out of his grasp. “Shaw what are you doing? Let go of me!” she cried. She stopped suddenly, staring intently into his eyes. Her eyes narrowed, and she sneered in his face. “Let go of me, I don't want to hurt you”.

“I highly doubt you could” the brunette warned.

Emma paused and then looked at the ground. “You aren't making any sense. Why are you doing this?” 

Shaw shoved her roughly into the wall. With a snarl he smashed a hole in it. “Don't play innocent!” He smiled, baring his teeth, and dragged her with him up the stairs. “Why don't we check up on Charles, hm, _honey_? Surely he must have been woken by our arguing.”

The blonde's eyes widened as she let out a gasp. She pulled frantically against Shaw's hold, only for him to grab a fist full of her hair and throw her to the ground. “I _would_ do that, but seeing as he isn't here, it won't be necessary.” 

“...How did you know?” Emma looked up at Shaw, challenging him.

“When I asked you to make sure he was okay being alone, you wouldn't look me in the eye when telling me how he was doing. You avoided answering any of my questions. To be honest, you made it quite obvious that you were lying.” He looked so smug standing there. Emma wanted to wipe the smirk off his face, but refrained from moving. 

Shaw began to pace around the room. He rubbed absentmindedly at his chin, deep in thought. Emma watched him, a deep sense of foreboding beginning to manifest. Something seemed to catch his eye, and for a moment Emma thought he was coming to attack her, but instead he looked under the stairs. He pulled out a leather satchel.

The blonde gave him a curious look before he opened it. He pulled out a beautiful ornate silver crown. It glinted in the light as he turned it over in his hand. He also pulled out a wanted poster, though the blonde could not make out whose face was on it. Emma watched Shaw's face go from questioning to angry to reflective. He smiled at her, sickly sweet.

“W-what are you looking at?” she asked. Emma kept her guard up in case Shaw was planning anything. His thoughts didn't betray him however, so it was a surprise when he gathered her into his arms and squeezed tight.

“Oh darling, we're going to bring Charles home. And you're going to help me.”


	5. Just a little farther now

When he first saw the sign, he thought _Aw, how quaint!_ “The Rubber Ducky” was neatly painted in bubble letters with a duck drawn next to it. Why he’d had high expectations he didn’t know. Now Charles was staring at a group of thugs – though they were akin to pigs – as they stuffed food and booze into their faces. 

Charles immediately regretted ever telling Erik he was hungry. What told him there was anything trustworthy about a thief? He made his living off of manipulation and lying to people! Charles made a note to remind himself to never do anything like this ever again. He quietly ducked behind Erik, his grip tightening around the blonde’s arm. If anything were to happen, he could use the bigger man as a shield.

Erik cleared his throat. That was a rather cocky move, Charles decided, and elbowed him in the side for it. His companion did not seem to mind. In fact, he drew even more attention to the pair by speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear. “Ah my friends, it is so good to see you again!” Now everybody’s attention was on them, and Charles literally felt his heart leap to his throat when he made eye contact with them. Just what was he trying to accomplish, with that sly grin on his face?!

“Hey! He’s on the wanted poster!” A voice from the back. 

“We can make a lot of cash by turning him in!” said another.

“Go call the guard!”

Charles’ fingers once again found themselves tightening around Erik’s arm. It seemed that even Erik had gone into a defensive stance. Judging from the anxious waves rolling off of the blonde causing Charles’ skin to prickle, this wasn’t the reaction Erik expected. He used his power to steal their weapons right out from underneath their noses. This didn’t deter them however. It only served to make them angrier. Grubby fingers reached out and practically ripped the blonde out of Charles’ grip. The pigs pushed and pulled like bratty children. Four men were tugging on him at once, all arguing about who would claim the bounty once the royal guard showed up.

Charles made an attempt – albeit a weak one considering his size – to pull Erik back in his general direction, but all he got in return was someone’s elbow in his face. He was dazed for a second before he reeled back, clutching his nose. Charles felt hot blood gush between his fingers. The brunette glanced back up through bleary eyes to see Erik being hoisted up and handled quite violently between men.

Charles decided all at once that he’d had enough and practically shoved his essence into their minds. _Enough!_ he ordered. The noise abruptly stopped, as did the group of men. One, A particularly hairy one, set Erik gently on his feet.

Erik blinked in confusion and spun around to look at the now complacent group of criminals. He took a gamble and poked one of them on the nose. Nothing. They all stood in a circle around him, and while a minute ago they were trying to kill him, now they were just swaying in a disturbingly peaceful way. The blonde turned to glance at Charles with a curious cock of his head. 

“You did this?”

Charles shrugged his shoulders, a coy smile on his face. “It’s how I managed to incapacitate you when you climbed through my window. I can just… _control_ people if I really try.”

Erik’s blue eyes widened as he contemplated what Charles said. Charles looked at his feet, and the blonde’s breath hitched. He strode over and took hold of the brunette’s hands. “That’s nothing short of mind-blowing,” he began, but seeing Charles’ flushed face reminded him of what he was doing and where he was, and he pulled his hands away. “You’ll have to tell me more about your abilities later. For now, release these gentlemen.”

Charles looked incredulously at his partner in crime, but Erik’s pale eyes reassured him. He huffed as he slowly crawled out of their minds, a soft glow turning into flames once again as the men reanimated. The group of men glanced around them with confusion before locating the source of it and yelling their amazement.

“That’s amazing!” one man, his body made out of ice, said with a grin.

“How on earth did you do that?” a young woman with pink hair and translucent wings questioned.

Their boisterousness immediately ceased when one spoke up behind them. “Why are you here?” They shuffled over to one side as a tall, lean young man with red-tinted glasses strode forward. His air of confidence rubbed off on Charles, and he felt himself standing a little taller. He held out his hand and gave a reserved smile. “I am Scott Summers, but people around here just call me Cyclops.”

The brunette tentatively shook his hand. He looked up and found himself feeling more than charmed. “I’m Charles, this is my friend Erik. We’re on our way to see the floating lights.”

Cyclops tapped his chin with his finger. “The floating lights… Oh! The lantern festival they hold each year for the missing prince. Why on earth would you want to go there?”

Charles’ eyes glittered as he explained, “It’s been my dream ever since I can remember to go see the lanterns. Haven’t you ever had a dream that you wouldn’t let anyone get in the way of?” He tilted his head to look deeply into Scott’s barely visible eyes.

Scott laughed ruefully and glanced around him. “I… had a dream.” The men surrounding them nodded their heads in agreement, some murmuring amongst themselves, others growling at the mere mention of dreams. “In fact, it still _is_ my dream.”

Charles chanced a look at some of the other men. The air in the room became thick enough with disdain that he could taste it. The brunette swallowed nervously, thinking that maybe he shouldn’t have said anything. He crossed his arms as he took a step back against Erik. The blonde’s hackles were raised, preparing for another attack. Suddenly Cyclops leaned in so close his hot breath made Charles wrinkle his nose.

“It is the one thing all mutants have thought about for eighteen years, the one thing that this forsaken kingdom has refused us from day one.”

Charles held his breath as Cyclops paced in the aisle between the two groups who seemed to think that Charles should know what their leader was implying.

He turned around and regarded Charles thoughtfully. “We want _equality_. Is that too much to ask?”

Charles shook his head. That earned him a toothy grin from the hairy one that had been ready to throw Erik. “C’mon bub, you gotta know what he’s talkin’ ‘bout. Around these parts, no mutant’s safe.”

“Yeah! We get treated like garbage just because we’re better than everyone!” another voice called out.

Rejection and anger poured out of them, threatening to drown Charles. He fiddled with his shirt as he was wrapped in a blanket of uncertainty. Never before had he felt such a violent hatred towards another existence than what he was picking up from these poor fellows’ memories. He jumped from thought to thought, witnessing more than once a brutal attack on a peaceful person who, unwilling to fight and left with no other choice, had to leave their family and friends to find peace and stability in the forest. There was no reason for it, not reason at all for this injustice.

Charles looked up, coming face-to-face with a giant blue beast. He yelped but was grabbed before he could back away. “I am Hank.”

 _It speaks?!_ Charles thought as he was lifted into the open space.

“Look at me, do you think me a monster? Well some people have different thoughts on that matter.” He looked quite lonely standing there, like a child’s toy after it’d been thrown away. “But I am not a monster. I do not pillage and most certainly do not eat children. I would never kidnap a woman or purposely hurt another creature. I’m a gentle giant, a lover and not a fighter. What I want more than anything, is for a woman to love _me_ and not be afraid of my outward appearance.”

The hairy one from before stood and glared at Charles for a long minute before busting out into a wolfish grin. “Ya don’t need to ask me twice. My dream is find a cabin up in the woods to live. I’d be livin’ the life, I gotta tell you. Just imagine, hunting rabbits and deer, wrestling bears who get too close… Hell yeah, and there’d be no brats up here _buggin’_ me either.” This garnered a laugh from some of the younger ones standing in the back.

“You know you love us Logan!” a brunette woman called out. Her icy friend snorted out loud when the man – Logan – threw his beer mug in their general direction.

One by one, Charles was approached by what he now knew to be called “mutants” with stories of what happened to them and what kind of dreams they had. He learned that a man named Mr. Sinister wanted to breed the best animals in the world through something called “selective breeding”, and apparently that involved a very complicated process, though he wasn’t allowed to own property so it was pointless anyways. There was a boy named Quentin who just wanted to have a little fun, however he was a “danger to everyone around him” so his parents had locked him in the basement until he’d had enough and fled. A young woman by the name of Eva wanted to live by the ocean so she could swim every day, but that was nearly impossible when the darkness of her past kept haunting her.

Every so often he’d look back shyly at Erik, who was leaning against the bar table with one leg crossed over the other. He looked right at home talking to a young pair of mutants – one comparable to the domino sets Charles had at home, and the other a sort of toad-looking creature. They laughed amongst each other, and Charles felt his face heat up when Erik looked at him with a half-lidded gaze. He turned away, burning with embarrassment.

“What’s your dream?” Charles heard the frog boy ask.

“I guess… it’s to find a place where I belong.”

“Really?” the dark-haired girl asked. Her face screwed up in disbelief.

The blonde laughed out loud, though Charles felt a slight crack in the barricades he’d put up in his mind. “Of course not, that’s ridiculous. I want to move away to an island where I’ll be surrounded by enormous piles of money!” The brunette pursed his lips, thinking that Erik shouldn’t have to answer to these random mutants. He was allowed to have his own dreams.

“That’sss more like it!” the boy exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air and accidentally getting some slimy gunk on his friend’s arm.

“You are so disgusting!” she cried and hit him on the head.

There was so much noise Charles missed the loud thumping approaching the bar entrance. In an instant there was a flurry of screaming as the royal guard burst in and pointed their crossbows and swords at the crowd.

“I brought the guard!” the mutant from before cried, apparently proud of himself.

“Nobody move!” the leader ordered. The younger mutants scrambled behind their bigger, stronger friends while the intruders thrust their weapons about to push back the large group. Two mutants trailed behind them, bound by chains. It was impossible to get a better look at them as Charles was tugged roughly behind the bar table along with Erik. It was the blue mutant, Hank. At first the brunette thought they were going to turn them over, but his bright eyes told the whole story. He nodded at them and pulled a lever on the shelf above. A rumbling and creaking, then Charles was staring down a dark hole.

“Use this to escape, my fellows. Go on and follow your dream” he said with a wave of his hand. 

Erik pulled Charles by the hand and made a mad dash down the hole, barely giving Charles time to look back at the beast. He didn’t have to wonder what was happening above them as he could hear the thumping displacing the dirt above. The sound of his partner’s heavy breathing kept him from being distracted for too long, as they still had quite a ways to go.

Above, the mutants had resorted to teasing the royal guard with ill humor and badly timed shenanigans. They had just about had enough when a galloping snapped the men back to attention. In raced Pietro, the horse they’d thought they lost. He stood proudly, his coat still as shiny as ever.

“Pietro!” His rider, a curly-haired woman with a strange red hairpiece, ran up to him. The horse whinnied and stomped its hooves with delight. “That blasted thief got away again, Pietro.” Seeing the disappointment on her face made the horse spring into action, sniffing around the room and on the ground. He nudged past Logan and Hank, ignoring the sounds of protest they made, and tapped his right hoof on the ground with a loud neigh. The woman walked up to where he was pointing, her cape flowing behind her. She was reflective for a second, before turning to her men and ordering them down into the tunnel. “You, stay with the other two” she told the young soldier who had pulled them along. He watched as his group disappeared down the hole and then turned to sneer at the pair of thieves.

“ _Mon petite ami_ , would you like to see a card trick?” the brunette male asked. The man let his guard down for a second, bringing about his own downfall. A card was thrown into his face, exploding upon impact and sending him flying out the door. Remy quickly maneuvered out of his chains and then did the same for Anna-Marie.

“Let’s get that yellowbelly” she spat out with a wicked grin. They followed the others down the not-so-secret escape route, but where the group of men turned around the fork, the thieves went the opposite way.

 

The dull rumbling that Charles had been trying to ignore continued to get louder. “Erik? Erik! What _is_ that?” he called out, his voice being drowned out by the thunder. He stopped to catch his breath, allowing Charles to do so as well. After taking some time to even out his breathing, the brunette looked behind him, only to realize his mistake when a woman leading the royal guard pounded into view.

“Uh Charles, now isn’t the time for sightseeing!”

The pair rushed to get to the light at the end of the tunnel, but were disappointed upon bursting out. What lay before them was an unfinished waterway and a large expanse of rock. Charles took one look at what they’d be getting themselves into should they fall and felt a shiver go up his back. Trying to jump to safety was not an option unless they wanted to end up as pancakes. He clung to Erik, which turned out not to be a good idea as the royal guard continued to push them back until Charles’ foot almost slipped off the edge of the cliff.

Their leader walked right up to the front and cocked her hip out. She was a child playing a game, and Erik was the prize awarded for hitting the target. He gave her a sheepish grin as he tried to stay as far away from her glowing hands as possible. “Give it up, Lehnsherr. I’ve got you right where I want you.” 

“You’re a mutant serving a human king? How pitiful” he remarked. At this she flew into a fury, firing balls of hot energy this way and that, making Erik dance to narrowly avoid them. Charles scrambled out of the way, trying to avoid being stepped on and at the same time thinking of a way to escape. He couldn’t let his dream end like this! Using this as motivation, he sent his tendrils out. He aimed to loop them around her weak points and bring her crashing down, but found no mind to penetrate. A wall had been struck where a mind should’ve been. He managed to stop the other men dead in their tracks, but she refused to relent her flurry of attacks.

“Raven do something!” he cried in desperation. His sister obeyed as she transformed into a huge condor and picked Charles up. She easily flew to the other side and dropped Charles down with grace. “What about Erik?” he asked. She made a derisive sound and dipped back down to retrieve said man.

At some point the demon horse had managed to join in the fray and now Erik had to anticipate attacks from both sides. He rolled to the left but was unable to move out of the way in time. The fire hit his hand. It hissed and steamed as he rubbed at it, but he couldn’t dwell on it for long as the horse snapped forward to bite his fingers off. It narrowly missed, Erik almost getting whiplash from throwing his arm back so fast. Up above, Raven circled, looked for an opening. She saw her chance when Erik had pulled the royal woman by her cape and thrown her against her steed. She swept down at lightning speed and picked the blonde up, her talons digging into his shoulders. The bird took a dive along the cliffside, misjudging Erik’s weight. She flapped as hard as she could as frantically as possible. Her panicked squawking didn’t do anything to calm Erik as he dangled dangerously close to the gorge.

 _Huh, what’s that?_ the blonde thought as he squinted to get a better look at the figures down below. “O-oh, Raven! Pull me up, _pull me up_!” he yelled as he realized it was Remy and Anna-Marie. Said brunette pulled out his bowstaff and thrust it forward. Erik bent his knees in at the right moment if Remy’s string of curses was any indication. _Gott sei Dank_ he thought as he let out a shaky breath.

“Aargh Lehnsherr! We’ll get you!” they promised from below.

Wanda sat up, seeing the giant bird getting away with their bounty. She cursed under her breath. At least her men were back to their normal states. There was no time to dwell on what had happened to them. She lifted her arms and murmured, “Down”. In a split second the entirety of her men were at the bottom of the gorge. “They have nowhere to run, boys. As soon as they reach the end, they’ll have no choice but to come down. That bird can’t carry the both of them.” The men cheered and surged forward. She patted Pietro on the nose before she mounted him. “C’mon Pietro,” she said, and he too galloped away.

Erik and Charles made haste down the strange pillars and walkways, taking care not to stumble or break something. One wrong move and it spelled the end for the both of them. Raven flew beside them and would pick up Charles anytime he got stuck. The two almost made it to the end, but something had to give, and that something turned out to be the largest part of the wooden framework. The structure groaned with the effort before the backbone gave out and the entire thing came tumbling down. Charles grabbed onto Erik, and though Raven tried her best to pick them up, the weight of the water on her wings combined with the weight of the two fully grown men was too much, and she too fell with them. Charles tried to call out but he was greeted with a mouth full of water. There was an opening in the side of the opposite cliff, and Erik wrapped his arms around the brunette as the two slid right into it. All the rocks and wood from the unfinished waterway collapsed on top, essentially blocking the path out.

The waterworks raced through the gorge. Wanda looked up to see what her men were screaming about, and with a wave of her hand she and Pietro were safe on the cliff above. Pietro whinnied with amusement as the men below kicked up a storm, crying desperately as they were drenched in cold water. The brunette stepped off of her horse and petted him. “Think you could see where that path leads?” she asked him. Pietro made a low sound and galloped back the way they originally came. He was intent on not failing this time around.

 

Erik pounded his fists on the rock above to no avail. Water trickled in from multiple small holes in the blockage, and when the blonde gave up his futile efforts the water was already up to their knees. Even so, he gave a stubborn huff and dove into the water, looking for a way out. Charles clenched his fists. The distress bombarding him from all sides were doing nothing to calm him. He began to panic, screaming, begging for someone to hear them. His partner popped out of the water to take a breath, and then repeated the process. He came up again, blood gushing from a wound on his hand.

“I’m sorry Charles, but it’s no good if I don’t have any light.” Erik explained with heavy breaths. The water had crept up to their upper arms. A shiver shot up the thief’s back.

“Oh no no no no this is not good!” Charles cried to himself. He felt warm, strong arms envelope him. A bittersweet calm washed over him as he let the realization take control. “I’m sorry Erik, this is all my fault. All because I wanted to see those floating lanterns…”

There was a heavy silence before Erik spoke up again. “It’s Max.”

Charles looked up, searching the blonde’s downcast eyes. “W-what?”

“My real name is Max Eisenhardt. Somebody had to know” Erik confessed with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Oh, okay so is this like the confession thing people do before they die –“

“No wait you misunderstand –“

“My body bursts into flame when I sing.”

Now it was Erik’s turn to be surprised. “What?!”

A new plan started forming in Charles’ mind. “Wait a minute… My body bursts into flame when I sing! And it can’t be put out by water either!” By this point the water was up to their necks.

“Are you crazy?! Charles this isn’t the time for nonsense!”

“Flower gleam and glow, let your spirit shine…” Before Charles could finish reciting the poem, the water finally reached the top of the cavern, plunging them in inky blackness. Within the darkness, a sudden bright flame burst through. Erik looked incredulously at Charles before realizing he could see where the water was trying to leave the cavern. He tore away at the rocks with an animal desperation. Raven, in the form of a platypus, slapped away stones with her flat tail. After what felt like an eternity, and Charles could feel himself ebbing away, black spots dancing around his vision, the pressure of the water became too much and the rocks gave away. The water was free to flow through, dragging the threesome with it. They allowed themselves to be swept away, drained of their energy.

The waterway must’ve been meant to fill out into a river, because a riverbank is exactly where the three ended up. Charles sat up with a gasp, greedily drinking up the fresh air.

“We’re alive!” he exclaimed. He climbed up onto the grassy bank and flopped down, his muscles screaming from all the exertion.

Not two seconds later Erik sprang out of the water, a sputtering and gasping mess. As he smoothed his hair back he thought back to what had just occurred. “He bursts into flame when he sings!”

Charles sat up. His insecurity was clear as day on his face. “Please don’t freak out, Erik…”

Erik chuckled lowly and leaned on his elbows. “Freaking out? Who is freaking out? I’m just thinking about how amazing you are and how I pale in comparison.”

At that Charles blushed furiously and scrambled to his feet. “Let’s get a fire started!” With that, he was off. Erik glanced at Raven, who just looked back at him with mischievous glowing eyes.

“That’s not even the best part.”

* * * * *

The brunette spluttered as he flailed out of the water and onto the grass. Anna-Marie followed close behind, her hair a sopping mess. The leaves served their purpose and went back to hiding the secret entrance when she slammed it behind her.

“We have got to have the worst luck in the world” she complained. Water dribbled out of her mouth, most of it probably still in her lungs.

“But Anna-Marie, we took the gamble. Why get so upset over the consequences?” Remy shrugged his shoulders and leaned back on his arms. “Besides, that _diable_ Lehnsherr is none too bright, _non_? I’m sure we’ll find him again.”

A rustling in the leaves startled them both, and they stood up with their weapons at the ready. Out came a man dressed in a rich, velvet cloak, his arms spread wide in a mock greeting. A golden-haired woman trailed behind him with crossed arms and her gaze aimed at the ground. “My dear pair of thieves, no need to be alarmed.” 

Anna-Marie snorted and kept her knife raised. “And who might you be?”

“I’d like to make a deal.” Remy cocked his head curiously, though the redheaded woman growled at him. “We both have a common enemy correct? This _Erik Lehnsherr_?” He spat on the ground and snarled. “I think I can make an arrangement that we all win from.”

* * * * *

Erik arranged the firewood he and Charles had collected in a neat little pile before picking up two sticks to begin rubbing. He ignored the searing pain in his hand up until the fire started. Pulling his hand back, he rubbed at it to stop the bleeding that had begun again. He heard a snort and looked up to see Charles looking at him. The way those blue pools concentrated so hard on his hand made him hide it behind his back. “I’m fine.”

Charles flopped down beside Erik and gently took his hand. He hummed a bit to himself before looking back up at the blonde. “You’re hurt because of me. Let me take care of you at least.”

Erik pulled his hand away and laughed nervously. “I am _fine_ Charles. Do you not see how fine I am?”

Charles rolled his eyes and giggled. He reached over to touch Erik’s hand again, though the offending hand must’ve still been bothering him, for he tugged it away upon contact and hissed.

“Ugh Erik, do _not_ make me _make_ you give me your hand.” The blonde though about it, then tentatively offered his hand. “Now you have to promise not scream or do something weird… ‘Kay?” he instructed. The blonde audibly swallowed and nodded. Raven mockingly squawked at him, laughter clear in her beady eyes. He tensed up as Charles began to recite.

“Flower gleam and glow, let your spirit shine,” As his voice carried through, the wind picked up and all the forest sounds fell into a hush. A soft ember had begun to unfurl in Charles’ hand as he drew patterns around the wound, “make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine…” The ember grew into a red hot flame, enveloping both him and Erik. The blonde squirmed away from the heat, even though it wasn’t a particularly painful burning. 

When the poem was done and the flames had receded, Erik took a disbelieving look at his now pristine hand. He gasped and fell backward. Charles looked at his feet and waited for Erik to get up, fidgeting again with his shirt. The blonde sat up and took hold of Charles’ hands, and brought them up to his face to kiss each finger. 

“W-what are you doing?” Charles said with a small gasp. His face grew red as Erik’s soft lips trailed over his fingertips.

“You are magnificent, Charles.” He gazed up into the other man’s glazed over eyes. “You are truly amazing. I have never seen such power in my life.”

And for a second, the barbed wire twirled away from the doors, and the metal wall that barricaded that brilliant mind gave way. Underneath was a castle made of glass of all sorts of colors. Pinks, blues, yellows, all of it shone perfectly under the now clear blue sky. Fluffy birds with long bills danced around the sky, and they sang an inviting song. Charles couldn’t resist. He made his way through the cherry wood doors and was greeted with red carpets and paintings of the sea and sky, and small boats and big boats and everything in between.

When he pulled himself back, all he saw were those pale blue eyes that belonged to no one other than Erik. Charles recognized a regality in the half-lidded gaze, a mutant who stood tall and proud and was not afraid to shout to the world what he was. He was unable to stop himself from leaning in and just barely ghosting his lips over the blonde’s. A hitch in the other’s man’s breath, and then Erik pulled away, an apparent deep-rooted fear clear in his eyes. The metal walls suddenly came back with a vengeance, effectively shutting Charles away once again. He abruptly stood up.

There was an edge to his voice as he said, “I’ll go get some more firewood.” The forest had swallowed him up before Charles could muster up a protest. Raven hopped over to him and nudged his hand with her head. He picked her up and patted her, his heart throbbing in his chest. What on earth had he done wrong? The night sounds of the forest returned once again. They did nothing to comfort him though, and he was left to drown in his thoughts.

A snap in the branches behind him alerted Charles, and he spun around, only to be faced with none other than his father.

“F-father?!”

“Yes Charles, it’s me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gott sei Dank - thank goodness  
> mon petit ami - my little friend  
> diable - devil
> 
> Oh wow so, pivotal action point in the movie. Hell yeah, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Don't know what else to say other than, well, it'd be appreciated if someone could point out any mistakes in my writing so I can fix them. Only a chapter or two (maybe three? We'll see how this goes) left. Hope you enjoyed that. Please wait patiently for the next chapter!


	6. Not quite there

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh... this is late. Ah well, I'm done school now so I can update promptly. There's probably only one chapter left, maybe an epilogue if I feel like it. Anyways, enjoy!

“Father, is that you?!”

“Yes Charles, it is.”

The forest spun around Charles, the nauseous feeling rising up in his chest threatening to spill over. A harsh wind blew, so cold, cold enough that the brunette wanted to inch closer to the fire and stick his hands out to catch the flames. Heat was good, heat was better than the cold that pierced his heart. He trembled with immense guilt, but more so he shook from the fear of the last person he expected to see being _right there_ in front of him.

“W-what are you doing here?”

“I just listened for the sound of betrayal and followed that.” His stony voice chilled Charles right to the bone, and he was gripped by the claws of his father’s anger. They trailed up his chest and squeezed on his throat, wrapped around his arms and legs and pulled on his hair. He swore he could hear the forest pleading with him to _run, oh by the grace of the gods_ run _Charles!_ Shaw sneered as he leaned forward to grip his son’s chin, roughly keeping him in place. “It is at times like these that I am glad your powers are so unrefined.” He glanced beyond Charles, making sure there was no one around before looking down at him. “Oh Charles, isn’t this enough freedom for a lifetime? Come now, we shall go home again. Your mother is waiting for you. She made your favorite you know.”

Charles squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth. There was something very wrong about this situation. For one, he could no longer read his father’s thoughts, and there was silence on Emma’s end as well. Just like that woman riding the white horse, an impenetrable wall had been erected for the sole purpose of keeping intruders out. And how in the gods’ names did he manage to find Charles?

“Charles, are you listening to me?” Shaw’s voice was softer now. Warmth flooded through Charles, releasing his father’s death grip on him. The tension melted away from the smaller male, and he hopped up to give his father a hug. “There we go. Charles, let’s go home.”

The brunette pulled back from his father. “What? But wait, father, I haven’t seen the floating lanterns yet…”

Shaw looked surprised, but he reached forward to place his hands softly on Charles’ shoulders, an unspoken promise of things to come. “Charles, after all that you’ve seen? You’ll only get into more trouble if you insist on staying by that thief’s side.”

“Father I don’t think you understand. I’ve met all sorts of people, mutants, like us! And well, I want to do something to make their situation better. I had lots of fun escaping the royal guard, and well…” At this Charles’ eyes dropped shyly to his feet. “I think Erik _likes_ me.” There was a hint of hopefulness in his voice that made his father scoff.

“Likes you? Oh _please_ Charles, that’s demented!”

“But father, I –”

“This is why you never should’ve left!” Shaw was pacing now, the anger slowly seeping back into his veins. The younger male sighed as any hope of his father understanding him was thrown away. Shaw turned around and ran his hand over the helmet he was wearing, his eyes dead set on his son’s face. He spun Charles around and placed his hands on the brunette’s shoulders. With a knowing voice Shaw said right in his ear, “This romance you’ve invented is just proof that you’re too naïve to be here.”

Charles pulled out of his father’s grip and crossed his arms, aware that his uncertainty from before was creeping in again. He backed away, trying to get closer to the light. The trees around them cast long shadows, resembling the sharp claws of his father’s anger.

“Why would he like you, now _really_?” Shaw tugged at Charles’ hair and shoved him lightly. “Look at you, do you think that he’s impressed?” The brunette scrambled to his feet and dusted himself off, hurt burning his eyes. “Don’t be a dummy, remember what we talked about. Father knows –”

“No!” Charles exclaimed. He was tired of being pushed around, of having his decisions questioned at every turn, and he was tired of feeling so insignificant! Looking back at his father, the brunette stood tall and clenched his fists.

“No? _Oh_?” Shaw lowered his head, seething at his son’s challenge. “I see how it is.” Charles took a step back, suddenly hyperaware of the eerie silence of the forest. He swallowed nervously and looked up into his father’s gaze. Stalking forward until he was looming over the boy, the older man ranted, “Charles knows best, Charles is so mature now, what a clever grown up young man.” He patted the brunette on the head, though it was not a loving gesture. “Charles knows best, fine if you’re so sure now, go ahead then give him,” Shaw practically ripped the satchel from his side and lifted it up into the air to dangle uselessly in front of Charles “this!”

“How did you-”

“ _This_ is why he’s here, don’t let him deceive you! Give it to him. Watch, you’ll see!”

The brunette bit his lip, the uncertainty suffocating him. But he was not about to give in to his father’s baseless accusations. “I will!” 

Taken aback, Shaw scowled and carelessly threw the satchel at Charles. “Trust me my dear,” he snapped his fingers while continuing, “that’s how fast he’ll leave you! I won’t say I told you so!” He pulled Charles forward by the arm and threw him to the side. Standing right over him, he pointed an accusing finger. “Charles knows best! So if he’s such a dreamboat go ahead and put him to the test!” He jabbed the finger in Charles’ chest, practically yelling at him. “If he’s lying, don’t come crying!”

“Father please wait!”

“ _Father_ knows best!” And with that, he disappeared once more into the forest.

Charles sat up, placing his hand on his chest to try and calm his panicking heart. He let out a shaky breath and crawled over the fire, though it had dwindled to nothing more than a pitiful pile of embers. A breeze blew, rustling the leaves, and Charles was blanketed by the comfort this soft wind offered him. He set the satchel beside him and veiled its presence with his power.

It was at this point that Erik returned, a hefty pile of branches in his arms. Sensing some sort of distress from Charles, the blonde carelessly dropped the pile of sticks and sat by Charles’ side. He stroked at the brunette’s arm as one strokes a kitten, with little force so as not to hurt it. Charles sighed and laid his head on the older man’s shoulder. Waves of relief rolled around the brunette, and he looked up into Erik’s eyes to see an apology waiting for him. _Ah, so that was it then._

“Charles, you never did tell me about your powers. Have you always been able to do that?"

The brunette momentarily chanced a glance at the other man’s gaze, and felt his face heating up in that familiar way. Father couldn’t be telling the truth! “Is this why you weren’t allowed to leave that tower?”

Charles shrugged and pulled his knees up to hug them. “My mother and father said that there would always be evil out there wanting to hide my good light.”

Erik snorted and pulled Charles by the shoulder. “Well I think your powers are amazing and should be shared with the world. You could heal the sick and dying you know. You probably would’ve been able to heal my parents before they –” he stopped himself before going any further. Charles looked up to see a distant look in Erik’s eyes, and was instantly thrown into the blonde’s memory.

A man paced around the room as his wife sewed. She remained silent while he ranted about… something. Charles could not understand the language they were speaking in, but it was a very harsh language, angry and passionate in ways English could never be. The walls were bathed in gold, silky curtains drawn back with a beaded rope. All around the room were golden trinkets that twinkled brightly in the sun. Charles was amazed to see such beauty, for he could’ve never imagined anyone’s home to be as inviting as his own. There was a wailing in the other room that garnered Charles’ attention, and the woman stood up to go pick up her son who had slipped and scraped his knee. She shushed him and kissed his knee tenderly. The man, Charles assumed he was the father then, crossed the room in one stride and hoisted the boy up into the air with ease. Peels of laughter erupted from him as his father spun him this way and that. He set the boy down to let him run off, presumably to play again. In a split second, three men barged through the door and shot the mother with their crossbow. The father was easily taken care of with a knife. “Disgusting mutants” one of them muttered. They began to knock every item into a sack, and only paused when they heard a soft creak of the floorboard. Erik peeked his little blonde head into the living room, and only got a glimpse of the men as they escaped, never to be seen again.

Charles’ vision was bathed with light as Erik sparked up the fire again. He gasped and wrapped his arms around himself like a shield. Leaves being carried by the breeze twirled around Charles, some landing on his head, others landing in a pile around him. Soft croaking noises were heard from the river a little ways away from here. The brunette closed his eyes and let the forest attempt to comfort him. It did nothing to help. He opened his eyes again, unable to relax. There was no pretending like that never happened, no going back. He cautiously glanced at Erik’s broad back as he kneeled in front of the fire, fanning it. Erik had willingly let him into the depths of that beautiful castle once again, but what Charles had seen could only be described as tragic, not at all like the fluffy carpets and sparkling chandeliers of the castle. No, this was probably something that Erik kept hidden in the dungeon six feet under.

“I… I saw everything, Erik. I never realized…” Charles choked out, only to be met with Erik’s guarded smile and clouded eyes.

“Don’t fret. It was all in the past.”

“B-but Erik! No, Max!” At that, the blonde flinched. “Please.” He took a seat beside Charles, his eyes concentrating on the fire.

“Nobody wants to hear the sad story about Max the Orphan. But everyone loves the story about Erik the Adventurer. I used to read to all the other kids, and I honestly idolized Erik Lehnsherr so much. That’s why I changed my name to be like him. I thought that maybe… Maybe it was all in the name.”

“Was he a thief too?”

“Not in the sense you’re thinking. He was kind of like… Er, ah… he stole from the rich and gave to the poor. He was unstoppable, invincible, everything a kid like me could ever want to be.”

Charles looked up at Erik thoughtfully. With his eyes he traced the hard line of the man’s jaw, memorized the way his pupils would dilate and become saucers when he was thinking about something, and admired the way he sweat when he was embarrassed. The brunette wrapped his arms around Erik’s shoulders and made a clicking sound with his tongue. “Well I think I like Max Eisenhardt a lot better than Erik Lehnsherr.”

Erik’s jaw worked as he tried to come up with an answer. The younger male found it endearing. “I do believe you’d be the first.”

 

Charles woke up to hear a ruckus being made a little ways away from him. He scrambled to his feet, barely remembering to slip on the satchel and cover it over with his gift, and rushed over to see what was going on. Erik’s yells were more intelligible the closer he got, as Charles was able to make out words like “you demon!” and “leave me be, white devil!” The most common however, was “Charles help me!” The brunette was frantic as he wriggled out of the underbrush. He came to a stop just in time to see a white stallion narrowly miss bashing Erik’s skull in. His eyes were unable to follow the swift movements of the horse, left to right and back again, over and over, and he got dizzy just by trying. In a last ditch effort Charles leapt in front of Erik and stuck his hands out in front of him, squeezing his eyes shut and waiting for the pounding he knew was coming.

But it didn’t come. Charles opened his eyes to see big blue eyes staring at him curiously. He sighed in relief and relaxed his stance. With his heart still beating fast, Charles tentatively lifted his hand to pet the horse on the nose. It whinnied and nuzzled into the warmth. Turning to Erik, he asked, “What on earth happened?”

Erik scrambled to his feet, and as he dusted himself off he informed Charles on the intruder. “This demon horse belongs to the royal guard. He’s the reason I ended up at your tower in the first place.” As if knowing it was being mocked, said horse huffed indignantly and snapped its jaws forward. Erik let out a _totally manly_ scream and jumped backwards. “This nightmare will never stop haunting me!”

Raven, who was watching the altercation from the start, let out an amused chirp and fluttered over to rest on the stallion’s head. The horse whinnied affectionately and nuzzled against Charles’ face, enjoying all the attention. “Oh Erik, I have no clue what you’re going on about. Poor little –” he squinted at the medal dangling from the horse’s neck, “Pietro is just trying to do his job. Aren’t you, Pietro! Aw, who’s a good horse?” The brunette petted his soft mane, eliciting a loud sound from Pietro, who was slowly starting to forget why it came here in the first place.

“You have got to be kidding me” Erik muttered, rolling his eyes. Charles sighed and tugged excitedly at Pietro’s reigns.

“We should get going. We’ve got to be close now, I can feel it!” Raven took her place on Charles’ shoulder. When his back was turned, Pietro took the chance to stomp on the thief’s foot. He let out a yelp and punched the horse in the face. The bird on the brunette’s shoulder shifted into an owl and snapped her head around to glare at the two children quarrelling behind them. The creepy manner in which she stared at them seemed to do the trick for they immediately straightened their posture and were silent. For the rest of the trip she kept the two from laying a finger on each other, warning them that bad things would happen if her brother’s happy mood was affected.

 

The festival had already begun by the time the foursome made it to the castle town. Cheerful banter weaved in-between the crowds clogging up the streets. Every which way Charles looked there were playful children skipping around and performers dancing, singing, playing and bringing genuine smiles to peoples’ faces. The brunette stood in the center square and just _listened_. The symphony of thoughts lifted Charles high into the clouds. He hugged himself and beamed, his hair almost golden in the light of the sun. Being surrounded on all sides by people made the brunette want to leap for joy. Who knew he’d been missing _all this_ locked up in that miserable tower all this time?

Erik stood with Pietro and smiled slightly at the sight of Charles looking so happy. His fingers itched with longing. Knowing that last night he’d pushed his companion away only made him want to pull him closer right now to let him know that it wouldn’t happen again. Ever. Erik hadn’t even realized he’d been staring until the demon horse’s derisive snort shocked the blonde out of his stupor. He rolled his eyes and shoved the damn thing out of hurt. Of course he wouldn’t really have a chance with Charles. But one could dream, right?

Charles bounced over and practically strangled Erik with a hug. “Oh Erik, it’s beautiful! Thank you for taking me all this way!”

“Hey, the day isn’t over yet. You think you’ve seen it all, but I’m here to tell you there’s more to this place than just the people!” The brunette’s eyes widened, and Erik nodded in affirmation. “I promise you’ll never want to leave when I’m through with you.” Realizing how strange and clingy that sounded, he laughed nervously and ran his fingers through his hair.

“I already don’t want to leave” Charles said quietly enough that Erik almost missed it. His face burned, and he looked away with an awkward cough.

“Hey, you want to try out the marketplace?” the blonde suggested. Charles nodded his head and bounded off. Pietro whinnied with amusement and chased after him, leaving Erik with his hands in his pockets and a mystified expression on his face.

The two spent a majority of the day stuffing their faces. Literally. Charles had suggested a pie eating contest, and Erik swore he had never eaten that much rhubarb pie in his life, let alone seen somebody like Charles eat that much. The brunette looked like a monster, and he couldn’t quite understand how the brunette’s jaw had almost unhinged in that unearthly manner. Regardless, he’d won the contest, and was offered the local baker’s best and freshest creation: a pie. Erik didn’t want to see another pie in his life, but Pietro seemed to love apple pie and swallowed it whole when offered. When they’d finished with the pie eating contest, Charles wanted to try every strange thing in every stall they passed. Roasted newt, honey-glazed bat wings, and baked beets that were so spicy Erik began to cry (the merchant swore up and down after some violent persuasion that it was _just a touch_ of cayenne pepper!). It was when the brunette wanted to try cinnamon-infused cow tongue that Erik said enough was enough and they took a break from eating.

But of course at that point Charles found something more interesting to do: chalk drawing. While Erik sat on a bench clutching his stomach and in Charles’ words, groaning like a child, he had found some children to play with. They’d introduced him to the wonders of chalk, and for the first time the blonde noticed Charles’ artistic talent. His favorite part of his companion’s drawings were the intricate swirls of gold that found their way into each and every image. Maybe it was because Erik had seen the golden flames for himself, or maybe because they presented the image Charles saw of himself, but no two swirls were alike.

The day passed like this. The brunette ran off to play hide and seek with the children without using his powers, and Erik at some point had been swarmed by teenage girls all looking for a man to go to the lantern festival with. He coughed and hacked and spun all sorts of unbelievable stories just to avoid going with them, not wanting to hurt their confidence but not wanting to give them enough leg room to persuade him to change his mind. Pietro occupied himself by chasing men hauling carts of apples. He almost caught one too, until a royal guard happened to be walking by and suddenly Pietro was a well-behaved stallion and _not_ a demon. By the time the sun was going down, the three were understandably tired. But the blonde refused to stay and rest just yet. He wanted, _needed_ to give Charles a solid reason to stay with him. If the two stayed together, maybe, just maybe, he would change his ways. Make an honest living, find a cozy home for them to stay in. There wasn’t much of a chance, but if Charles said yes…

“Erik? Where on earth are we going?” Charles’ voice broke the blonde’s thoughts, and for a minute he couldn’t remember why he was dragging Charles out all this way.

“We’re going to participate in the lantern festival” Erik replied bluntly.

Charles nodded and glanced up to the sky to look at how dark it’d gotten, and when he didn’t see any lanterns, he looked at the boat and the water, and then back at Erik. “Why are we on a boat?”

Erik smiled sheepishly and pulled out the lanterns he’d been hiding, handing one to Charles and rubbing the back of his neck. Charles smiled and bounced giddily in his seat, practically ripping the thing from the blonde’s hands. He cradled the lantern, his lids falling and eyes gazing fondly at Erik. The blonde just huffed and looked away, the feeling of his heart pounding like this uncomfortable.

At that moment, a warm, bright light flared out from behind the two, and Charles turned around to see the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. His eyes, wide as saucers, couldn’t just concentrate on one lantern. The townspeople had put their hearts into this, and it shone through each lantern. They floated along the breeze, and though a few teetered and struggled to stay aloft, they were all amazing and made Charles’ heart swell. He giggled to himself and shyly looked down at his own lantern. Would it float? Or would it fail? With Erik sitting next to him like this, his face a reassurance, the brunette threw away his doubts and launched it up into the sky. It swam through the stars and joined the growing stream of lanterns, taking its place proudly at the front.

He turned back to look at Erik. With a small smile, the blonde took Charles’ hands and pulled him close to watch from a better angle. His telltale heart was too loud, and he feared that he wouldn’t be able to speak properly if he tried. Trembling fingers slid down the brunette’s arm and around his waist, making Charles jump a little, and Erik laid his other hand on the brunette’s thigh.

“All this time I was watching through windows. But now that I’m here…” Charles whispered, not wanting to disturb the peace of the moment, “I realized what I was missing all this time.”

Erik nuzzled his nose into Charles’ soft hair, thinking that maybe he agreed with the brunette’s words. His dream before had been selfish. Being here on this rocking boat soothed his nerves, and Charles’ warmth lulled the storm that had been plaguing his thoughts. There was something brewing behind the steel doors of his castle, and Erik, realizing that he was happy because Charles was happy, was starting to understand exactly what it was. It wasn’t something violent, but rather would set the kingdom of his mind at peace. He squeezed a little tighter.

“Erik, I need to tell you something” Charles said with a worried look. Erik pulled away and shifted so that he was facing the brunette.

“What is it?”

The brunette seemed to be pulling something off from around his neck, though Erik couldn’t see what it was. That is, until the veil was removed and he realized he was looking at his satchel. “I was too scared before to give you this. But now? I don’t think I’m so scared anymore.”

The blonde blinked back disbelief, pulling the satchel close to his chest. For a moment he cast his gaze downward, not being able to look at Charles for the sheer amount of gratitude and understanding, and then he set it behind him carelessly. Charles opened his mouth to say something, a little bit confused, but Erik cut him off.

“I think I get where you’re coming from” he started, then nervously ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s not that I’m not grateful. But… I mean… I don’t care about that anymore.” He chanced a look at Charles, who was absolutely beaming at him. Erik snorted a bit, his cheeks burning, and almost let out a scream when the brunette practically jumped him.

“Oh Erik! That’s wonderful!” Charles exclaimed, nuzzling his head into the other male’s chest. Erik stuttered and grumbled half-hearted complaints, and wrapped his arms around his companion. He looked down, only to be met with Charles’ bright blue orbs gazing up at him. Something electric passed between them, and he shifted his position until he was sitting up, still staring intently into the smaller male’s eyes. Erik’s heart pounded like a drum in his chest, and when Charles’ hands searched for support and found purchase in his shoulders, he could swear his breath stopped. Heat stirred in his belly and spread out, a web built with Charles’ support. The brunette’s eyes were half-closed, focusing on Erik’s lips. Time stopped around them, leaving the lanterns suspended in mid-air.

Lips brushed chastely against each other, the pain of the hurt from last night leaving them wary. Will he push me away this time? Should I let him in? Erik wasn’t sure whose thoughts were whose anymore. They occupied the same space in this moment, shared the same purpose in the universe. He took the initiative and leaned in again, this time letting the heat linger there just a while longer. Charles’ grip on his shoulders tightened with the uncertainty, but Erik remained as steady as a rock, softly biting on the other male’s lower lip until he had erased any doubt. This time when Charles parted his lips, Erik eagerly stole his breath. The embers had been fanned enough, and an explosion of fire was passed between them in golden bursts and fluttering swirls.

It was difficult to pull away, but Charles needed to breath and Erik feared they were rocking the boat too much. They kept their hands on each other, the sensation of these extravagant feelings leaving their skin tingling. The taller male leaned in to begin the dance again, but a movement on the shore across from the harbor caught his eye. He turned, squinted, and then pulled away completely from Charles.

“…Erik?” the brunette asked, his voice tiny compared to the thundering thoughts coursing through Erik’s head. He pulled on the oars and began to row, not stopping until the boat gently nudged the sand.

“I need to do something” was all he said, before he got up and disappeared into the underbrush.

“O-okay, I’ll… be here then” Charles said to no one in particular.


	7. Reach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stayed up 'til twelve am to finish this so there are probably mistakes. I was probably halfway to dreamland when I wrote this anyways, haha. Enjoy the final chapter.

Erik stumbled through the thick underbrush, the lack of light making it almost impossible to see. He realized this was probably because Charles wasn’t with him. Shivering, the blond stepped into an empty clearing and looked around. The warmth of the lanterns was far away now, the light having been blocked off by the trees. Up above the moon attempted to light up the area.

Two figures stepped into the meager light, their forms casting heavy shadows behind them. The majority of their faces were still in the dark, but Erik recognized them all the same. “What do you want, Remy? Anna-Marie?” Goosebumps perked up on his skin. Something was off here. They looked too relaxed for the current situation. Anna-Marie was even smiling a bit, which last he recalled, she didn’t do often. Then there was the emptiness. He couldn’t feel any metal on them, not one bit. “If you want the crown well, here you go.” His voice wavered slightly. He tossed the satchel onto the sand in front of them.

But they weren’t picking it up. Why weren’t they taking it and leaving? There was _definitely_ something wrong about this. Erik took a step back, eyes darting between them and all the possible exits. The road back was too long, but taking a detour could cost him precious time as well. If only he were as good of a thinker as Charles was!

“Once a selfish bastard, always a selfish bastard. Wouldn’t you agree, Remy?”

The brunet chuckled, his eyes and hands lighting up with purple flame. “Oui, mon cherie. Erik do you realize how upset you made us when we found out you were keeping the Phoenix all to yourself?”

Erik clicked his tongue. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You were always a bad liar” Remy said, his expression going dark. “The _Prince_ is holding the power of the Phoenix. You know, flames, rebirth after death, the whole shebang. I heard he can even turn back time and make people look younger, and make new mutants to appear all over the world.”

“Can you imagine? A world without humans? You were always talking about how wretched and filthy the humans were” Anna-Marie joined in. She took a step forward. Erik didn’t like where this was going. They were trying to intimidate him, scare him. But he wasn’t playing their game, and he stood his ground with a glare of his own. “Can you imagine how much somebody would be willing to pay, from either side, to have the power to make or break mutants? We’d be rich! We could’ve had it all, _buddy_! But no, you had to go and keep him all to yourself. Just like usual.”

“If you still don’t understand by now Erik, it’s that we don’t want the crown anymore” Remy finished, his lips contorted into an ugly grin. All teeth, no friendliness. “Hand him over.”

Erik snorted indignantly. “Make me.”

* * * * *

Charles shook. The breeze that suddenly turned cold was not the cause of his shivering, it simply made it worse. No, there was a deep, dark hole that had opened up in the pit of his stomach, one he hadn’t thought was there before. Fear. He hadn’t heard such a deafening silence, hadn’t felt such a burning cold under his skin, since he’d started this journey. Yet here it was, stinging at the corners of his eyes and threatening to overflow.

Where was Erik? Why did he leave? Was father right? The brunet grabbed at his hair and attempted to calm down. He could manipulate his own emotions, right? Imagining a rushing stream, Charles let a cool wind trickle down his body, his eyes closed and his breathing even.

Hearing the snap of a twig behind him he spun around, all the calm dissipating into the air. Two strangers stood in front of him, but their thoughts consisted of money and greed, and he couldn’t bring himself to relax in front of them. Thoughts flickered around him, and in bits and pieces he saw Erik’s face and Erik’s grin and Erik’s betrayal. Erik, Erik, Erik! All of it was Erik leaving him after retrieving what he came for. Charles staggered back in disbelief, and Raven right away flew to his side and spread her wings.

“I reckon poor baby’s seeing our thoughts, just like _he_ said” the redhead woman spoke, addressing her tall friend beside her. He chuckled, pulling out a set of cards that began to glow ominously purple when he touched them, his face illuminated in all the wrong angles.

“Now just be quiet and we won’t have to hurt you” he said, the tone of his voice sinister. _Ruffians, thieves!_ Charles thought, thinking how ironic it was he should be faced with his parents’ fears right at the last moment. Keeping Raven down, he extended his influence over them like spider webs, forming a framework between them and squeezing them together.

“What do you think you’re doing!” the man called out, throwing some of his cards in Charles’ direction. He yelped and dove out of the way, narrowly avoiding the explosion behind him. He scrambled to roll out of the way as another two cards landed beside him, getting caught in the leg by the blast. Pain shot up his leg and rooted him to the spot. The brunet pulled his leg close to his chest to inspect the damage and grimaced when he saw the blood trickling down. Don’t focus on the blood, don’t focus on the pain! His first reaction was to dampen the injury, and he masked the pain so he could duck when three more cards shot past him.

Raven shifted into a ten foot insect with armored skin and shot up at the strange duo, making them jump off in opposite directions to avoid being crushed. Charles almost cheered until he heard his sister’s high-pitched screeching, and just as soon as she’d shifted she was back to her normal, blue form. The redheaded woman smirked and stood up, her eyes rolling back into focus. “Bad luck” she taunted as she proceeded to transform into the same beast he’d seen just moments earlier. Charles gasped and ran over to hold Raven in his arms.

“What do you want from us?” he asked, desperation in his voice.

The male stood up and approached them, a toothy grin on his face, and explained. “Well you see, we’re poor mutants who are trying to make an honest living by stealing precious, priceless items and selling them for ridiculous prices or pawning them for what they’re worth.” Charles bit his lip to keep from crying out and pressed his face against his sister’s.

Suddenly the brunet was going flying, and Charles saw only a flash of crystal and then the thief was pinned against a tree. “Excuse me? Are you calling my son an _item_?!” Charles recognized the voice as that of his mother.

“Mother!” he exclaimed, a smile spreading on his face. Hope was restored in the brunet’s heart as he watched his mother hit the guy another two times for good measure. She dropped him carelessly and went to hug Charles and Raven, the diamond quickly receding and being replaced by her silky smooth skin. The beast-woman was bombarded by energy blasts, Sebastian Shaw’s signature power. So he was here too. 

It was over in mere seconds, the male knocked out and the insect shifting back into the form of the woman. Raven moaned and rubbed at her eyes. Charles sniffled and held her, still worried for her safety. “H-how did you find us?”

“Oh dear,” Emma said with shimmering eyes, “a mother just knows.”

Shaw hung behind the blonde, his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth in a thin line. Charles stood up and faced his father, his eyes challenging the other’s. He was hurt, his heart aching after being betrayed, and he didn’t want to display weakness to the person who told him it would happen. Father wasn’t right, it had nothing to do with the crown. It couldn’t.

“Charles. Are you all right?” the man asked, his tone serious. Charles nodded and looked off to the side, his gaze falling on Raven, who was being helped up by Emma. “Charles, look at me.” Reluctantly he obeyed. Looking into his father’s eyes was like arriving home in the dead of winter and being greeted by a roaring fire to melt away the piercing cold. The taller male spread his arms, a welcome back of sorts. The brunet flung himself into the comforting embrace, burying his face into the other’s chest and holding his breath.

“I’m so sorry, father. I’ll never leave home again.”

“I forgive you. Let’s go home and have your mother make you your favorite. Janos and Azazel are there too.” Charles nodded. Shaw glanced at Emma, who was glaring pointedly at him. She obviously didn’t like having that mental block strapped to her head. She couldn’t hear her “son’s” thoughts anymore. And that was how it should’ve been from the start. He’d scolded himself as he pressed the metal against her head, angry that he hadn’t seen their plan from the start. Well now Charles was never leaving, and, using the Phoenix, they could eradicate humans from the planet and leave only the rightful rulers: mutants.

* * * * *

Lights and sounds flooded his groggy vision, dispersing the clouds and leaving the view clear as day. Erik looked up to see the tell-tale red and white of the royal guards, and there standing in front of him was none other than Wanda Maximoff with her hands on her hips.

“Well, well, look who we have here boys. And the crown is right there in his hand too!” She spoke loudly, affirming Erik’s defeat to the other men. Some grinned, some scowled, but most of them looked triumphant, like they’d just won the biggest prize. And they probably would, he thought. The bounty on his head was so ridiculously big they could each buy themselves their _own_ private island. He looked disbelievingly at the crown in his hand and, more importantly, the ties keeping his hands secured on the helm. There was a strong pounding on the left side of his head, and he realized that he’d been set up. It was then that it all came crashing down on him.

He tugged and tugged as hard as he could. He could sense the metal all around him, keeping the ship together and located there in the buttons and buckles of the guards’ clothing, in their weapons as well. It would feel so good to slice their heads off, if only his could concentrate on that big of a group… “Don’t even think about it, Lehnsherr. I’d die before you get away again” the woman threatened, her hands bursting in a cloud of red energy.

“Wait! Where’s Charles? Please, let me go! I have to help Charles!” Erik pleaded, pulling uselessly at the ropes. Wanda aimed her hands with caution as the men around her hopped onto the boat and unwrapped the blond’s hands, only to tie them again with the very same ropes behind his back. He kept still, watching those hands with wary eyes. An image formed in his mind of her popping from one place to another with one word. What else could she do with that magnificent power, he wondered, if she wasn’t so busy serving humans? Erik shot the woman with an icy stare, his shoulders tensed and teeth clenched.

“Oh come off it, Lehnsherr. You’re getting everything you deserve, you putrid, low-life thief.” She stuck her nose up in the air at him as the others marched him past her, and for a minute he considered taking that stupid-looking helmet and crushing her skull. He stayed his hand though. Adding murder to his list of crimes wasn’t going to help him. So he kept his mind calm and his hands down. For now he’d play nice.

And there at the dock stood Pietro, watching with horror. Something just didn’t sit right with him.

* * * * *

Charles flopped down onto the bed beside Raven, who was lying on her stomach and groaning into the pillow. He threaded his fingers through her hair to look for a bump. Even though it was morning, sleep hadn’t helped her one bit. He wasn’t sure whether he should mask the pain or let her trudge through it.

“I know what you’re thinking Charles. I’ll have you know I’m tougher than that. I’m just upset that we had to leave so soon. I was really enjoying the castle town. And that stupid horse wasn’t so bad either” she said, turning her head to pout at the brunet. Charles giggled and pressed his face into her shoulder.

“Yeah well… things don’t always go as planned.” He pulled away and laid on his back again. Unrolling a flag from his side Charles held it up into the light, the wings of the phoenix reminding him of the gold swirls he drew in chalk while Erik watched him. It was the emblem of the royal family, a reminder that though they may die the bloodline will always be born again. The legendary bird looked so free, its face full of pride, as if to say “I will not be hidden. I am unapologetic”. Just like those mutants he met in The Rubber Ducky.

Charles shook his head and held the flag close to his chest. The memory of the smiling faces of those mutants made his heart ache. Golden hair and pale blue eyes passed in his vision, and the dam holding everything back threatened to split and let the whole thing flood with memories of Erik. The brunet bit his lip and closed his eyes, a whimper escaping his lips as he desperately held on to the good memories while simultaneously wanting to forget them. A heavy weight pressed down into his shoulder, and he couldn’t help the stray tears escaping down his cheeks.

“It’s not fair, Raven. It’s not fair at all! I really thought he liked me, I really, really, _really_ thought…” His voice shook, painfully aware of the stupidity and naivety of his words. Father was right, Erik was only after one thing.

The redhead ruffled his hair and smiled wanly. “I was sure. You could see it in the way his eyes softened around you. Like he was learning to see the light again.”

Charles opened his eyes. Before he could speak, blue eyes passed over one of the paintings he’d done last week. It had nothing to do with fire or wings or mythical birds, yet the golden trail following the princess looked exactly like a wing. Well part of one. He sat up, his eyes scanning around the room and looking painstakingly closely at the details of all his work. Here was another part of the wing, the golden feathers bright as day. Over there was a talon, holding onto a fish. Above him a couple of fierce eyes filled to the brim with stars looked over at the horizon, a deep-set sadness in being held captive here. 

“Charles?” Raven’s voice sounded far off, unimportant, his mind flickering back and forth between images of the phoenix flower he’d seen all over the castle town and his paintings. The phoenix was revered by the royal family, rumor saying it was what saved the prince and his mother when she’d gotten ill. He opened the flag again, coming face to face with the creature he’d subconsciously painted all over his room. He stood up and paced around the room, the phoenix fluttering just under his eyelids, painting the walls in bright flames. They came together to form a phoenix, and the next image was fleeting, but there nonetheless: him trying on the crown.

He collapsed to his knees, in the process knocking over his mirror, flinching when it shattered on the ground. Raven rushed over to steady him. “Charles! What happened? What’s the matter?”

“I’m the lost prince” he replied, dazed.

Footsteps pounded up the stairs, and out from the doorway a blonde head peaked in. Emma gasped and was immediately at Charles’ side. “What happened to him?” she asked, glaring accusingly at Raven.

“I didn’t do anything to him” she spat back. The blonde pulled Charles into her arms and pressed her face into her hair, kissing his head and cheeks while rubbing soothing circles into his back.

“I’m the lost prince. Mother did you know that?” He pulled away from her and searched her eyes for a sign of lying. There was no way to tell using his telepathy. She was wearing the same strange helmet he saw the Scarlet Witch and Shaw wearing. Somehow it prevented his thoughts from reaching into her consciousness and pulling information out, a tangible wall against an intangible concept. “Should I even call you that?”

Emma kept her mouth shut, presumably not wanting to speak until she’d come up with another lie. She blinked slowly, her blue eyes catching Charles’ gaze. Her mouth opened and closed many times. “No, I suppose not. H-how did you find out about this?” She pressed his finger to her lips, indicating that they be quiet. The brunet was confused momentarily, until Emma pulled the helmet off.

_Your fath- Shaw kidnapped you because the phoenix, in addition to being able to make him young again, can also bring about calamity and induce the birth of mutants. He was hoping to use your power to destroy humanity and recreate a paradise for mutants._ All the while Charles gaped, his eyes wide with disbelief. Images of the great bird ascending into the sky struck his mind, and he sat there helplessly as he witnessed the gruesome burning of all humans, the phoenix leaving the mutants unscathed. It was here that all those born after were of mutantkind, and flower fields were allowed to grow again, peace finally achieved throughout the land.

“That’s not the right way to do it! We have to learn to live _with_ them! They are the majority, how else are we going to get them on our side?” Charles cried out, tugging at his hair and squeezing his eyes shut. “With plans like that no wonder they want us gone! They can’t learn to understand us if we don’t educate them and show them that we mean no harm.”

Emma smiled and ruffled Charles’ hair. “Sweetie that’s a good sentiment, but sometimes people are stubborn and don’t like to listen to reason, so we have to use force.”

Charles shook his head and swatted her hand away. He stood up, still wavering a bit, but now a determined look burned in his eyes. “I’m the missing prince. I have to go home.” The brunet turned to look at the woman who raised him, and for a moment he considered hurting her to show her how much he was hurting right now, how confused and frustrated and betrayed he felt. The feeling passed when he closed his eyes. “But you really loved me, didn’t you…? I mean, you pretty much left the door open for me. You’re not like Shaw!” Eyes opening wide, he smiled at the blonde and stuck out his hand. “Help me, then! Take me home, and maybe I’ll put in a good word with my parents. They might spare you!”

She sighed heavily and closed her eyes, shoulders slumping in exhaustion. A laugh, so pure and innocent, full of love and curiosity, rang in her ears. Big, blue eyes tugged at her heart, full of wonder as they discovered new and interesting things. Painting. Sewing. Cooking. Every time something new was learned those eyes would widen, and they’d turn to _her_ , letting her know how much they loved her without actual words. It was the laugh, the eyes, the intelligence, _everything_ of a child she’d come to love as her own son. Smiling slightly, Emma looked Charles dead in the eye. “All right. I’ll take you back. But don’t forget about me, yeah?”

Charles cheered, hugging both women. They didn’t notice the footsteps approaching until he was right above them. “Oh, is that so?”

Emma jolted. Before she was able to do anything, the helmet was back on her head, and she was pulled up by the hair. Shaw scowled at the boy as his other hand formed a little ball of energy and held it dangerously close to the woman’s skin. “Emma, darling, I told you not to take that thing off. You let yourself be controlled by him yet again. And you, Charles. Really now? I’m so disappointed. After all I’ve done for you, you’re just going to leave?”

Raven shifted into a tiger and growled at the man standing there. He smirked and flicked the energy ball right at her, and it sent her flying into the wall with a sickening snap. “Raven!” Charles called, not getting far before he too was thrown onto his sister.

“You want me to be the bad guy? Well now _I’m the bad guy._ ”

* * * * *

Three guards with solemn expressions, broad backed and straight postured, led a man down the hallways of the kingdom’s prison to the gallows. A strange block was put on his ability to fight back, a block on his god-given right, leaving him as powerless as a mere human. Men and women alike gave him a disinterested look. They’d seen this all before, become accustomed to it. Some of them had their crimes written all over their faces, deep scars and blue scales. Others looked completely innocent, too young and too small to really understand their crimes, too human. It was clear though, this was the train to death’s doors, and all mutants had been given a one-way ticket.

They were passing by another set of unfamiliar steel when Erik glanced over a familiar scene. He wrenched himself from the guards’ hold and threw himself against the bars, his eyes widening and eyebrows furious. “What did you do with him? Where’s Charles?! Did you hurt him? Huh? Answer me!”

Remy, although initially surprised, looked away and sat down, defeat heavy on his shoulders. “I wish we knew. We didn’t do anything to that precious boyfriend of yours. Some woman and her husband attacked us.”

Anna stood up and tugged uselessly at her shackles. “It’s true, Erik! A blonde bombshell and some guy with a real bad temper. They attacked us!”

Erik blinked once, twice, confusion in his features. His eyes searched and searched for an answer, a clue to these strangers who had taken Charles, but he didn’t get the chance to dwell on it when he was roughly and without remorse pulled back to his place beside the guards. “Keep it moving, Lehnsherr. We ain’t got time for this.” They resumed their funeral march, and even from this distance the blond could see his fate awaiting him, hanging there in idle fashion with a loop just big enough for his neck. Swallowing thickly, he walked with his head held high to keep these thieves from stealing the last of his dignity.

Just then the door slammed shut in their faces, and all four men were left to just stand there, dazed. The men at his side looked at each other, one shrugging as he knocked on the door. A small slip in the top opened, and two blue eyes stared back at them. “What’s the password?”

“What?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Open this door immediately!” the guard yelled, his face flushing red with fury.

“Sorry bub, gonna have to try again” he replied, shutting the slip. The guard knocked twice as hard this time. He banged as much as he could, but got no response. One of the men standing beside Erik suddenly disappeared with a small yelp. The blond looked around him, just as confused as the other two were. The man turned around and practically exploded with embarrassment. 

“Where the hell did he go?!”

The slip opened up behind him, a small “Still not the right password, bub” before it was closed again. The guard turned to bang on the door, and even attempted to kick it down, all the while another door on the side opening, dragging the other guard into an abyss before quickly shutting again. The guard at the door spun around, his eyes widening with disbelief.

“Wha-” He didn’t get to finish his sentence, as the door behind him opened and out stepped Logan, hitting the guy in the head with a frying pan.

“They aren’t as useful as my claws, but they’re a lot easier to use.”

Erik smirked, for a second remembering how Charles used to carry around a frying pan too. He was absolutely endearing when using it, but not was not the time to think about that. There was banging on the doors behind them, and Logan had suddenly pulled out his claws.

“Uh Logan I don’t suppose you can tell me what you’re doing?” he asked with a panicked voice as the bigger male lifted them up in the air. He grinned and sliced down towards his arms, the shackles on his hands snapping in the middle from the force. Immediately the blond felt his power return to him in violent waves, every piece, every atom, the relief akin to a parent finding their lost child, and he flexed his hands comfortably. Now the playing field was level.

A loud banging was followed by yelling, red and white bursting out of the opening. “Let me handle this” Erik said, cracking his neck and getting into position. Power surged through his feet and up to his fingertips, his limbs humming with energy and something stronger. The blood in his body was rushing, heart pumping in tandem, his whole body attuned with the metal in the guards’ jackets, buckles, and weapons.

“Hurry it up, metalhead” Logan said, his muscles bunching with the readiness to attack. The blond waited a few more moments before throwing up a magnetic field and knocking the men back into the air. The shorter male beside him whistled as he grabbed Erik and pulled him out one of the doors to the side. “Nice work there. Wouldn’t have done it that way, but whatever floats yer boat.”

The pair ran off into another section of the winding corridor, behind them more men than ever chasing after them with cries of torture and claims to death. Erik was tugged by the collar into a smaller section of the hallway while Logan smashed right through the wall. Behind him was Kurt, the little blue one with the long tail and yellow eyes. He shushed the blond and teleported away, but not before Erik saw Scott Summers jump out of the hole Logan made and shoot the guards a powerful blast from his eyes. They appeared in the courtyard where the loop of rope that had been haunting his conscience was too close for comfort. A blond man with wings swooped down, trying to knock some of the guards piling around them away with no avail. They stuck their spears too high in the air. Erik whisked them away with a swipe of his hand, opening the way for Warren to snatch the men into the air and drop them from thirty feet high.

Beside him Mr. Sinister was saying something. He could barely hear it with all the roaring going on around him. The pale man leaned in. “Chin up, arms out, knees apart.”

Erik looked at the white man with a skeptical gaze. It was a split second for him to think, and he was being launched into the air by a decisive jump on Piotr’s end of what the blond realized was a catapult. What in the world were they thinking? He screamed for the sake of the brunet he’d never see, the friends he’d never get to know and that damn horse he’d never get to trounce. The chances were snatched away from him before he even got a glimpse at them. _Well if they wanted me to die they sure went to an awful lot of trouble for it_ he thought bitterly, closing his eyes and accepting his fate.

There was no crunching of bones, no splattering of blood, just a thump, and Erik was opening his eyes with the realization that he’d landed alive and well. Looking down he saw a white mane, and knew at once that it was Pietro who’d saved him. “Pietro!” he cried out, hugging the monster who he’d spent the last while running from. Pietro made a delighted sound and braced himself. “Right! Onward, Pietro! We’ve got to save Charles!”

The mad dash to the tower was short-lived, but every leaf, bird, bush and tree passed by Erik in painfully slow motion. He’d seen and smelled all of this, along with Charles and Raven. A different kind of buzz shot through his fingers; apprehension. There was a different flavor in the air now, and the silence was ringing in his ears. No friendly “welcome back” in the babbling brooks, no warm hugs from the branches above, no soft breeze to wrap him in a blanket and comfort him. Without Charles’ bright eyes and excited voice, there was no life in this forest, and even the flowers he’d stopped and stared at held no meaning to him.

Erik slipped off the saddle in a rush and created a magnetic field around himself to levitate up to the window. It felt like forever ago that he’d first climbed unknowingly into adventure and romance. It had been replaced with a hollow feeling, thoughts of being too late and not being able to say goodbye. Cold fear manifested in his gut, and it climbed up his throat like the tentacles of a beast, coming out of his mouth in the form of a shout. “Charles!” He stepped into the dark room to see three people, Charles, Raven and a blonde woman, all wrapped in chains on the floor. Strange metal helmets covered the woman’s and Charles’ heads.

Charles tugged at his restraints, his eyes wide with panic as he tried to say something. Erik cocked his head, taking a step back when the other struggles so hard his gag falls out and his voice comes out in a cry. “Erik! Watch out!”

A blast of energy hit him in the back and Erik was blown across the room. “Erik!” Charles screamed, scrambling onto his knees to get to the blond on the ground. Shaw picked up the chains and pulled at them. Janos and Azazel, stepping out of the shadows, strung the other two along. Emma and Raven stood up to get going, their eyes lackluster. The brunet fought hard against them, digging his heels into the ground and forcing himself to fall, anything to make this harder on Shaw.

“Oh Charles, _enough_! Stop fighting! We’re going to go somewhere nobody will ever find you, your rat sister or your traitorous mother.”

Charles’ sobs resounded throughout the room. Laying on the ground and struggling to get back up was Erik, blood pouring out of a wound on his side. He coughed once, twice, and flopped down, writhing in what was probably agonizing pain. The brunet’s eyes at that moment were focused on nothing but Erik, his furrowed brows, gasping coughs and groaning, his clothes stained with blood. Everything in the room was dark, the one point of light flickering and fighting to live. “No! Never! I will never stop fighting you so long as I live! Unless… Unless you let me heal him! And then I’ll go with you wherever you want, and it’ll just be us again! You, me, Raven and Emma! But only if you let me heal him!” He attempted once again to reach Erik, just wanting to have some part of him near the other, even just his eyelashes, when Shaw released his grip on the chains.

“Very well then.” He went to search in a drawer for a moment, and came back and bound Erik’s wrist with rope to one of the supporting pillars. “Just in case you get any ideas about following us.” Then he loosened the restraints on Charles’ hands.

Charles rushed over to Erik and cupped his face with his hands. He hiccupped and pressed his face to the blond’s forehead, tears running down his cheeks and staining Erik’s shirt. “Y-you… can’t do this, Charles.”

The younger threaded his fingers through Erik’s gold hair. “I can’t let you die, Erik.” His lip quivered, but his eyes were determined.

“But then… but then you’ll die! Charles, I can’t have that.” Erik coughed, blood dripping down the side of his mouth.

“I’m gonna be okay” he said, shushing the other. Charles sniffled once more and rubbed at his nose. 

Erik leaned in close and pressed his lips to Charles’ ear. “Promise me you’ll go home, okay?” The metal helmets on both Charles, Emma and Shaw simultaneously flew off their heads. Emma’s eyes opened wide and she projected her essence into Shaw, paralyzing him, Azazel and Janos in their spots.

 

_I’m in that place again_ Charles thought, his voice echoing as though he were in a cave. Here again was that fortress with the steel doors and barbed fences. In front of his eyes the thorns curled away and the doors pulled back to reveal the shimmering castle that he’d glimpsed at before. Taking hesitant steps, Charles looked around to make sure there was nothing here that could hurt him. Puffed-up birds hopped up beside him and greeted him with a beckoning call. “Welcome back!” they seemed to say, their beady eyes shining bright. The red velvet carpet was rolled out in welcome, and the wooden doors pulled back to reveal a grand hall alive with bubbles and music. Golden trinkets floated everywhere, dancing around the halls and stairwell, and below him Charles could feel a rumbling laughter. The floor itself had split apart in a big grin, a staircase leading down to an orange light. The brunet climbed down the stairs, the sound of the music making his body thrum in time with the beat. His hands faded and solidified, were stretched and shrunken. He looked at himself in all the mirrors he was passing and laughed at how funny he looked. 

Finally he stood at the door to what looked like a massive library. Books floated this way and that, piles accumulating in the corner and all over the central table. “Hello?” Charles called out, his voice being distorted and pitched up as it bounced all over the room.

A knightly figure stepped down from a ladder and bent at the knee to give Charles a royal greeting. “My Lord.”

The brunet blushed and patted the armor on the shoulder. “What am I doing here? Why did Erik drag me into his mind?”

The knight stood up and pulled a chair for Charles to sit. “Charles, you must release the phoenix from the prison you’ve kept it in. Just let it go.”

The voice was oddly familiar, even as it emanated in waves and joined the floating items around them, even as these books recorded down what was being said and the waves of colors dissipated into black and white, it just sounded right somehow. Like it could be trusted. Around him the wood began to leak its color into the ground, the bookshelves disappearing from sight. Charles cocked his head at the strange figure. “You know how, Charles. The phoenix will be reborn so long as you allow it to die first.”

Charles sniffed, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. He covered his eyes so he did not have to see all the color disappearing from this world, so he did not have to watch as Erik’s mind broke down with death. The laughing floor above them began to moan and howl, crashes coming from everywhere and nowhere. “Flower gleam and glow, let your spirit shine…” A faint glow in his chest turned into sparks, his eyes flaring up with gold. “Make the clock reverse, give back what once was mine. What once was… mine.” The brunet could barely choke the last word out as he was sobbing so hard. Flames engulfed his body and made haste to swallow everything in its path. A screech was heard above them. Pieces of wood and furniture fell like giants around him. Charles looked up at the knight to catch a glimpse of his armor melting into the ground. Just before he pulled out of this magnificent mind forever, just before he returned to the harsh reality, the knight kneeled in front of him. “He played his hand, and you have played yours. You played well, Charles.”

He awoke to stifling warmth, and pulled away from Emma’s shaky embrace. Around him the tower was burning, but more than that, the sky itself was on fire. The great bird cried out and shot, as an arrow, into the sky, exploding in a ball of rage and sadness and love. As quickly as it appeared it had disappeared, but all of them had seen it. Charles turned to look at Erik’s now lifeless body.

“I-I’m sorry, Charles” Raven said, rubbing circles into his back. The brunet pressed his face into Erik’s chest, shivering at the sticky blood staining his hands. Black spots danced around his vision, and for a minute he considered letting himself slide into the abyss with the man underneath him, to just let his warmth fade out as easily as Erik’s had. But something caught his eye, a spark, the same that had ignited in his own chest.

Charles sat up and watched the embers flicker about before spreading golden swirls all over his body. Patterns burned up and then out all over his skin, blooming like flowers. The wound in his side slowly but surely sealed up, and the next thing he knew blush returned to his cheeks. Erik was coughing…? Erik was coughing!

“Ch-Charles?” he asked with a shaky voice. The brunet wrapped his arms around him and threw himself onto the other, locking lips with him in his relief and last act of desperation, to know that this wasn’t a cruel dream. Erik pressed back with his lips, the pressure steady and sure, his arm wrapping around Charles’ waist. Sitting up he pressed his body close to Charles, chest to chest, and sucked playfully on his bottom lip. Charles was so flushed even his ears and neck were red. Erik pulled away with a glimmer in his eye.

“Oh no you two! Get a room!” Raven giggled.

Charles turned to face Emma, a short communication happening between their eyes. Shaw turned to dust, and Janos and Azazel just disappeared. He nodded. The redhead pulled them into a tight hug, Erik laughing and pressing his nose into Raven’s hair.

“Let’s go see your family, Charles” the blonde suggested with a flick of her hair. Raven swallowed thickly and looked nervously at the other two. Charles smiled with bright eyes and rosy cheeks. Erik gave his approval in a grunt. The three got up and, with one final look at the burning prison, they all walked out and never looked back.

 

END.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow okay, first off, the end! Woohoo! Can you believe I made it this far, because I sure can't! I'm so thankful to everybody who read this story. You cannot begin to fathom how difficult this was. Mixing X-Men and Disney was like getting an ice cream cake for your birthday and you're only allowed to eat one or two parts. Obviously I had to skew some things to make it believable for Tangled, and vice-versa I had to skew some things to make it believable for X-Men. But you all stuck with me even through my unintelligible writing, and for that I am truly thankful. I hope to be able to continue writing, and hope to hear from you guys again.


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